The Heart of a Heroine
by MirrorStorm91
Summary: Winning the heart of the heroine of Aaa is no easy feat, but Marshall Lee isn't someone who gives up so easily especially when it comes to his favorite Bunny eared adventuress.
1. Summer is Here

A warm, gentle breeze rippled through the grasslands of Aaa like tiny waves across a giant sea of emerald-green, and the long, tender blades of grass brushed softly against the calves of a young, blonde bunny eared adventuress who had traveled through this familiar sea of grass countless times in her seventeen years of life. Fionna paused for a moment to remove her hat; the feeling of the bright midday summer sun beating down upon her head was making her hotter than usual, so she let her long, wavy golden locks tumble down her back. It was one of those rare moments that Fionna ever let her hair down, as she felt it got in the way of her adventuring, however she hadn't had the heart to cut it in some time. She sighed in relief as she felt the breeze in her hair, cooling down her face and neck as she continued her journey across the grasslands toward the misshapen green and brown dot in the distance… The tree house.

Awhile later, Fionna trotted up the wooden steps of her arboreal abode and pushed open the front door which creaked in protest; she was greeted with the familiar sound and smell of Cake humming her bacon song as she prepared Bacon Pancakes atop the kitchen stove.

"Cake, I'm home." Fionna announced as she made her way into the kitchen. Cake's ears perked up at the sound of her sister's voice and turned to give her a welcoming smile.

"Baby Cakes! I was wondering when you'd get home. How was that mission you did for Gumball?"

At the very mention of his name Fionna groaned as she sat down at the kitchen table and laid her head against its surface.

"Tea leaves, Cake…" She mumbled into the wooden surface.

"What?" Cake asked in surprised, turning off the flame of the stove.

"Freakin' tea leaves dude!' Fionna threw her hands up in exasperation, "Last week it was a special magical pink flower guarded by trolls, and the week before that I had to pick a butt load of these rare strawberries from a giant's garden… That was easy, but keeping them from Marshall was a different story."

Cake shook her head, "What does he need all that stuff for?"

"It's all for pastries and tea he's making for a royal tea party in a few weeks… From what I know, his father thinks it's time for him to find a wife."

"…You okay baby?" Cake asked softly, setting a plate of bacon pancakes in front of Fionna; to Cake's surprise, Fionna nodded.

"Actually, I'm perfectly fine… I've done so many lame missions for him, and rescued him so many times I'm just kinda… done… ya know? I mean, he's totally math as a friend, but seriously Cake if we ever dated I'd have to rescue my boyfriend from Ice Queen or some other funk in Aaa almost every week!"

Cake patted Fionna's hand lovingly, "I understand girl, and listen when the time is right you'll find the perfect person that just completes you. You're the heroine of Aaa, you need someone who won't hold you back, someone who can keep up with your awesomeness." The cat winked, making Fionna smile as she leaned down to hug her.

"Thanks Cake, you're the best."

Awhile later, Fionna had finished her lunch and headed upstairs to take a shower. Just as she was about to head into the bathroom, she noticed a note lying on her bed next to the open window on the other side of the room. Upon closer investigation, she realized that it was Marshall's wispy handwriting.

"_Fi, _

_I know you've been tired these past few weeks but we need to hang out tonight, it's been too long._

_I'll come for you at sunset, so try to stay awake for me._

_Marshall"_

Fionna smiled at the little strawberries and bats he had doodled on the page before folding it up and placing it back on her night stand. She wasn't even sure what they would get to do that evening but Fionna knew that whatever it was it would be fun and a nice change from the errand running she had been doing for PG for weeks on end, and truthfully she always had fun when she was with Marshall, he knew what kept her entertained… like adventuring in new, unexplored parts of Aaa, checking out dungeons and kicking monster butt, or even just rough housing after a jam session in the wee hours of the morning. Gumball's idea of fun, like tea parties and long drawn out science experiments generally put her to sleep although some of the unexpected results of his experiments were rather entertaining to watch. Like the whole zombie incident, while it was scary for a time, it got Fionna's adrenaline pumping and gave her yet another adventure. In a way she was glad that she had finally gotten over her crush, she'd known for some time that Gumball simply wasn't the right kind of guy for her; she didn't picture herself with a damsel in distress and as nice of a guy that Gumball could be, he made a very good damsel. Plus the whole royalty aspect of him made him completely unattainable to begin with.

After taking a long hot shower and scrubbing away the sweat and grime from her travels earlier that morning, Fionna dried and brushed her long golden lock and pulled them back into a ponytail that fell thick and wavy to the middle of her back. She pulled on a light blue tank top and a pair of black shorts and sneakers before plopping down on her bed to wait for a certain fanged friend of hers. The sun wouldn't set for a few more hours, so she might as well get a bit of rest before her moon lit adventure in the evening. Just as her eyes began to drift shut, she heard Cake call from downstairs that she would be staying the weekend with Lord M. and with a quick exchange of "I love you" between the two sisters, Fionna heard the front door close and she was left alone in the tree house. Lying in her bed for a few more minutes, and feeling the gentle summer breeze carrying the scent of grass and sunshine into her room, it wasn't long after that she began to drift away into the embrace of sleep.


	2. Night Flight

Fionna suddenly became vaguely aware of something cool brushing against her cheek, it was a very gentle motion but it caused her to stir nonetheless. As she slowly opened her sky blue eyes and allowed them to adjust to the darkness in her room, Fionna could see that no one else was around.

_"Aw fudge, I left the window open."_

With a yawn, Fionna hopped out of bed and padded over to the window where she quickly pulled it shut. Looking up into the night sky, she noticed the full cream-colored summer moon that stood out against the bluish black sky, and the stars that glittered like millions of crushed diamonds.

"What're you lookin' at Fi?"

Fionna spun around with her fist poised to deal some serious damage, only to have a cool, firm hand quickly capture her wrist before she could land a blow. To her relief, Fionna found herself staring into the crimson irises of a familiar vampire.

"Marshall, I should punch you for sneaking up on me like that!"

Marshall chuckled darkly, "Kinda hard to do that when I've got your wrist, love."

Fionna growled in frustration and took a swing with her free hand, only to have it caught as well. She glared half-heartedly at Marshall and stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed and floated toward the ceiling until Fionna was dangling from his hands.

"Oh no, you're all out of fists!" He said playfully, looking down at the irritated adventuress. Gently he started to swing her back and forth like a child.

"I swear if you say 'wheee!' …"

"WHEEE!" Marshall squealed, tossing Fionna up into the air where he quickly caught her in a bridal fashion; He smirked to himself at how fast she clung to him, it was a rare thing for him to be this close to her and already he was enjoying every second of it.

"Awww, did my little bunny miss me?" Marshall teased, hugging her closer. Fionna felt her cheeks starting to get warm for some weird reason and pulled away to give his shoulder a light punch.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" She asked as Marshall gently brought her back down to the wooden floor.

Marshall thoughtfully tapped his chin for a moment before a wicked grin plastered itself on his face. Fionna raised an eyebrow at him, knowing whatever was about to come out of his mouth couldn't be good in any way.

"Go find your swim suit, Fi. Tonight we're going swimming!"

"EH!? Marshall I don't have a swim suit right now…" Fionna rubbed her arm nervously.

"Why not? Don't you ever go swimming around here goofball?" Marshall asked as he floated casually in front of her; he was catching on to Fionna's embarrassment, though he didn't exactly know _why_ she was feeling that way.

"Well, I kinda out grew my old swimsuit…And then Cake got uhhmm…." Fionna trailed off, avoiding Marshall's gaze.

"Cake got what?" Marshall tilted his head in curiosity.

"…Cake got me a bikini…"

Marshall snickered at her, "And you don't wanna wear it, do ya?"

Fionna shook her head vigorously and stared at the floor, "Nope, it shows too much."

Having been stuck at twenty years-old for a thousand years and dealing with male hormones for all eternity, Marshall allowed his eyes to wander up and down Fionna's curves before she could notice what he was doing. She had definitely matured in all the right places, and the very thought of seeing her in a bikini was almost enough to make him drool. Still, this was Fionna for Glob's sake! She wasn't just any girl, she was his bunny, the only human to _ever _punch him and inflict actual pain… Yet at the same time, the only living thing that seemed to genuinely care about him no matter how much he teased and picked on her. He really had to keep a grip on himself, at least until she was a more appropriate age.

"Look Fi," Marshall said softly "it can't be that bad, especially if _Cake _picked it out for you. And if you're still uncomfortable after you put it on, I'll give you my shirt. Deal?"

Fionna looked up to see Marshall smiling genuinely at her with a bit of fang poking over his lip; she couldn't help but smile back. This was just Marshall she would be around and not some strange guy, plus it was dark so even if someone else walked by wherever they'd be swimming she highly doubted they'd be able to see anything anyway.

Ruffling the vampire's hair, Fionna nodded in agreement and sauntered over to her bureau to search for her swim wear. At last she found it, a blue and purple striped halter style top and boy short bottoms; quickly she stuffed it into her green backpack along with her retractable sword just in case some random monster popped up.

"Okay I'm all set!" She said happily, "Where are we gonna swim tonight?"

Marshall grinned happily, and scooped her up into his arms "It's a surprise." With a wink, he flew out the window into the warm summer night. Once again, he felt Fionna's arms wrap around his neck, and he could smell the intoxicating scent of the strawberry shampoo she had used earlier. Marshall could feel his brain starting to go stupid on him, he wanted so badly to tell Fionna how freakin' beautiful she looked but at the same time he didn't want to make her feel self-conscious or embarrassed; but damn why was she suddenly becoming so irresistible to him? When he'd seen her sleeping earlier he hadn't been able to help himself and ended up stroking her face... Which of course woke her up. All he could think about the past few weeks when she wasn't around was how badly he wanted to be near her, to hold her and kiss those sweet little cheeks of hers… then her jaw line… then her neck… then…

"Earth to Marshall!" Fionna's voice snapped him out of his happy thoughts, "Jeez dude, you went all space cadet on me."

"Sorry Fi, I was just uh… thinking about what we could do tomorrow! Heh heh!"

Fionna blinked her eyes at the vampire, "You okay?"

"Yup! Cool as a pickle… I mean cucumber."

"Whatever you say Marsh… Anyway, got any ideas for tomorrow?"

Marshall bit his lip thoughtfully, "Why don't you pick, Fi? We can do anything you want… Anything at all."

Fionna's eyes lit up in excitement, "I wanna go watch the fireworks show in the Candy Kingdom! There's gonna be a festival as well tomorrow night so there will be all kinds of food and games and awesome stuff! It'll be totally algebraic!"

Her excitement made Marshall smile to himself, "Sounds pretty rad to me bun-bun. Maybe we can prank our favorite prince while we're there too eh?"

Fionna grinned mischievously, "Oh we're definitely pranking him".

Marshall loved it when Fionna's mischievous side emerged, she could really be a prankster when she wanted to be.

"Alright Fi, we're getting close so close your eyes. I want this to be a surprise."

The girl quickly snapped her eyes shut just as Marshall flew over a thick grove of trees and hovered high above their destination.

"Alright, open up." He whispered in her ear. Fionna blushed when she felt his breath tickle her neck, but pushed the feeling aside and opened her eyes to survey the scene below her.

"Oh my Glob..." She breathed.

**A.N.: Cliff hanger, I know, don't hurt me XD. R&R guys! I wanna know if I should continue this story or not, I know it's a little slow right now but I wanted to kinda draw out how their relationship progresses and all that good stuff. Plus, there will be plenty of fluff moments in the coming chapters.**

**3 MirrorStorm**


	3. Better to Share it

"Oh my Glob…" Fionna breathed.

The pair was hovering above a large lake that was enveloped by steep cliffs on all four sides, and the edges of the lake glowed a bright, beautiful blue. The water itself was surrounded in a small beach, and several large rocks dotted the lake as well which Fionna knew would be perfect diving spots. Maybe there was treasure or a special artifact hidden within the depths of the lake? All in all, the location looked untouched which excited Fionna even more, knowing that this was a place that only she and Marshall knew about. The vampire enjoyed seeing her eyes light up the way they did, sparkling in excitement and taking in every little detail of the scene that lay before them.

"I love it Marsh! How did you find this place?" Fionna asked as Marshall flew them down to the sandy beach.

"I've known it was here for a while, but I thought it would be better to share it with someone awesome instead of just keeping it to myself." He winked at Fionna and put her down at the water's edge.

"You can change behind that rock over there." Marshall said as he kicked off his shoes and started to unbutton his jeans. He paused when he realized Fionna was staring at him with a blank expression.

"Marsh, where are your swim trunks?" Fionna asked, she remembered that he hadn't carried any with him on the way to the lake.

Marshall gave Fionna a fanged smile and leaned closer to her, "I don't need them." He said in a husky voice, letting his tongue flick out like a serpent's.

_WHUMP!_

Fionna bonked the top of Marshall's head with her hand before turning on her heel and strutting off toward her rock. "You better have _something_ on when I come back out!" She warned, not giving him so much as a backward glance.

Marshall chuckled to himself and quickly removed his shirt then his jeans, revealing black swimming trunks underneath… Fionna was _sooo _much fun to mess with. He gave a quick look in the direction of the rock Fionna had gone to and noticed that she still hadn't come out yet.

_"Either she's really slow at changing clothes or she's cowering back there in her bathing suit…"_

"Fi? You okay over there?" Marshall called over to her.

"Y-yeah! I'll be out in a second, I'm just fixing…um… everything."

Marshall face-palmed himself, she probably looked amazing in the damn bikini and just didn't realize it. "I've got my shirt out here if it would make you feel better."

Silence met Marshall's ears, and he thought that maybe he should simply toss the shirt over to Fionna from his side of the rock. But to his surprise, Fionna suddenly stepped cautiously out from her hiding place. Marshall was dumb struck, she had let her hair down and even from this distance he could see the gorgeous, toned hourglass figure she had developed over her years of adventuring. The bikini really suited her well; it wasn't skimpy at all and covered up just enough skin but at the same time looked stunning on her figure. Surprisingly Fionna wasn't trying to hide her stomach or anything else for that matter. In fact she looked almost… confident.

"Holy shit…" It was barely above a whisper and Marshall choked on the words. He felt something stir within his stomach and a strange warmth flood through his body.

_"Tooyoungtooyoungtooyoungtooyoung…" _This girl was seriously going to test his self-control and Marshall knew it.

"Glad to see you're wearing something ya butt." Fionna said with a smile as she sauntered over to him and took his hand, "Now come on, I wanna go dive!"

"By diving you mean me throwing you in the water?" Marshall asked.

"HUH?!"

Before Fionna could react Marshall threw her over his shoulder and ran up the nearest rock, where he tossed the squealing girl over its ledge. She hit the water with a loud splash that echoed off the surrounding cliff walls before she resurfaced a second later with her fist raised, however her long hair covered her eyes and she looked a little like a blonde sea monster the way it fanned out behind her.

"I'm gonna kill you dead!" She shouted, shaking her fist in the direction she thought Marshall was… which happened to be behind her… on the rock laughing his ass off.

"Oh Fi, you look priceless!" He laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. Fionna dipped her head back in the water to get the hair out of her face and blew a raspberry at Marshall.

"The water does feel nice, dive in!" She waved him in.

"Okay one sec!" Marshall jogged back to the bottom of the rock, then turned and ran as fast as he could back up, he shot off the edge with a with a loud yell and hit the water like a cannonball. Fionna giggled watching the spot where Marshall had landed, a moment later the water grew still and he still hadn't resurfaced.

"Marshall?" Fionna whispered, swimming over to the spot. All at once she felt hands grab her ankles from below and pull her down below the surface, at first she thought some creature in the lake had grabbed her but the only creature there was Marshall. He floated in front of her with his raven black hair fanning out around his face; he gave a little wave to Fionna and brought them both back up to the surface.

"Tag!" He nudged Fionna on the shoulder, knowing that she wouldn't turn down a challenge. Sure enough, Marshall saw that spark in her eye just before she tore after him like a mad woman in the water. They were both laughing like idiots as Fionna chased him out of the water and onto the beach where Marshall would let her get close enough to where she could almost grab him before he would either speed off or float out of her reach… That was, until she grabbed his ankle and yanked him out of mid-air. He hit the ground and looked up in surprise that she had actually caught him.

"You're it." Fionna winked and darted away. Marshall felt his instinct kick in and the chase was on; it wasn't long before he caught her around her waist, and heard her squeak and laugh as he spun her around in a circle.

The pair quickly lost track of time, they were having too much fun pushing each other into the water and giving chase and even at times just floating on their backs as they stared up at the full moon. The moment could only be described as utter tranquility, and it was something that Marshall didn't want to end.

At last, Fionna dozed off on the beach where they had been resting and making small talk after another rigorous game of tag. Marshall looked down at the form of the sleeping girl, and smiled softly to himself at how content she looked. In an effort to be a gentleman, and to push pervy thoughts down into the lock box in his mind, Marshall wrapped Fionna in his plaid shirt and hung her backpack on his shoulder. Scooping her up into his arms, he heard her mumble something about "bacon" in her sleep as she snuggled into his chest. Holding her tightly, Marshall flew off into the night, back toward the tree house.

He'd have to make her some bacon in the morning.


	4. The Ogre's Stash

**Okay I am so so sorry for not updating these past few days, I've been a bad author… I know… lol but I've tried to make it up to you guys by giving you a longer chapter. I hope you all enjoy it! Remember to R&R and thank you all for your continued support and encouraging me to keep writing.**

**Sincerely, **

**MirrorStorm**

* * *

Fionna woke to the sound of birds chirping and the invigorating smell of…bacon? Her eyes popped open and looked around her bedroom, it was early morning and rays of sunlight were already streaming through her bedroom window. When did Marshall bring her home? She barely remembered falling asleep at the lake the night before… but oh what a fun night that was. Fionna smiled to herself, remembering the hilarious expression on Marshall's face when she pulled him out of the air. On her nightstand was a plate of bacon and eggs, along with a handwritten note from Marshall with his signature doodles surrounding the text.

_Hey sleepy butt! _

_You must have had bacon on your brain last night because you kept mumbling about it when I flew you home. You sleep like a rock you know that? Anyways… Here's breakfast, sorry if it's cold when you wake up. _

_Oh don't forget I'll pick you up at eight for the festival so try to think of a good prank we can play on Gumbutt ha ha! I'm heading home for now so rest well Fi._

_Marshall_

"How sweet!" Fionna caught herself saying; it wasn't very often that Marshall openly did something so thoughtful but she certainly loved the moments when he did. To Fionna's surprise the bacon and eggs was actually still warm, which meant Marshall must have stayed fairly late to make this for her. Gobbling down her delicious breakfast, she made a mental note to give him something in return for this sweet gesture and for some reason she felt that a hug would get her message across better than a simple red treat from the snack stands at the festival.

After getting dressed and actually tidying up the tree house for once, Fionna went for a walk to visit at the candy kingdom for a while and to see if the candy folk needed any help setting up for their festival that evening.

"Oh Fionna, thank Glob you're here!" Prince Gumball said breathlessly as he ran to meet her at the gates; He looked frazzled and his crown was sticking off his head at an awkward angle.

"Hey what's up PG?" Fionna asked casually despite the prince resting his hands on her shoulders to catch his breath when he caught up to her.

"I…._pant…_am out… _pant_... of tea leaves!"

Fionna blinked at him, "And you want me to get more?"

The prince nodded, "Please?"

With a sigh Fionna calmly asked where she would be obtaining the leaves, while on the inside she was mentally face-palming herself at such a ridiculous mission.

"From what I know there is some plants in an Ogre's cave a few miles west of here, just take the dirt path leading away from the giant willow tree when you see it and you'll be there in no time! I know you can do this Fionna."

Prince Gumball suddenly pulled Fionna into a hug, which caught her off guard… no butterflies.. no blushing.. just nothing. The girl simply gave him an awkward pat on the back in return before he pulled away from her.

"Thank you so much Fionna, and I'm sorry to send you out again but I had to use the last batch to perfect a very specific tea formula. Now that I know the formula I can serve it at the party next week when the… um… Debutants come to the castle." Gumball released her and petted her on the head before walking away, shouting a quick thank-you over his shoulder.

By "Debutants" he must have meant the girls his father thought would make a good wife and potential queen of the Candy Kingdom. Fionna mulled this over in her head as she headed back out the gates toward her destination, hoping that she could get back in time to get freshened up before Marshall came back over.

It was nearly a two hour trek before Fionna found the willow tree that Gumball had told her about, and she couldn't help but notice the magnificent beauty of how its trunk twisted and wound to the height of nearly thirty feet before its wispy branches sprung out and cascaded down like a brilliant green firework. Beneath the shade of the tree, Fionna saw where the dirt path began and trailed it with her eyes up into the groves of many large pine trees up ahead. Drawing her sword she took a deep breath and began to proceed cautiously toward her destination. With any luck she'd be able to slip in and out of the cave silently without the Ogre noticing… Maybe it wasn't even home? It wasn't like a troll where it would turn to stone in the sun so there was a very real possibility that it would be out hunting. Then again if things got ugly she could always break out a good old fashioned can of whoop-ass and be done with it.

The smell was the first thing that alerted Fionna to just how close she was to the cave, the next was the bread crumb trail of animal bones that led her right to the entrance. The cave was nestled in the side of a large hill covered in a dense forest of pine trees whose needles carpeted the forest floor, softening Fionna's footsteps as she approached. A loud snore from within the black maw of the cave caused her to quickly sidestep and crouch beside the entrance, peeking into the inky blackness.

_"How the hell am I supposed to see in there? It's pitch black!"_

Fionna knew her strength well, but she also knew her limitations… one being her human eyes not being able to see in the dark. It was never a smart move to blaze into enemy territory blind as a bat so she had to think of a plan and quick if she wanted to get home in time. An idea suddenly sparked in Fionna's mind, she would simply lure the ogre out into daylight.

Digging into her backpack, she found just what she needed… her fire starter kit. There were plenty of dry branches lying around so this should be a breeze. Fashioning a large torch, Fionna quickly lit the end and let it burn brightly before tossing it into the darkness. Ogres weren't fond of fire, just like many other creatures so maybe this would be enough to get him up and moving. What Fionna didn't expect was for the cave floor to _also _be made of pine needles.

Her eyes bugged out when she seen the flames and smoke start to grow into a steady, crackling blaze and a moment later she heard the Ogre roar in fury about his home being on fire. The thunderous footsteps were closer than Fionna expected and she scrambled away behind a nearby tree to hide. The ground shook as the Ogre stormed to the mouth of the cave and began stamping out the flames furiously. Fionna sized up her opponent from afar… she'd tangled with Ogres before but this guy was a serious brute. Nine feet tall and all muscle from head to toe and not a trace of flab like some of his lazier counterparts; his mossy green skin was riddled with old scars from previous battles where he'd emerged victorious. Atop his head were two thick, black horns that curved out in a menacing fashion, and looked almost as if they could be used in an offensive manner. Fionna eyed the beast awhile longer as he shouted unintelligible words in some language she didn't quite understand, but she was almost certain he was swearing like a mad man.

In order to get him further away from the cave, Fionna chucked a decent sized stone at a distant tree and the noise caught the Ogre's attention. After waiting a moment longer to watch him trail after the source of the noise, Fionna sped into the cave to search for the tea leaves. The whole time she was wondering why the hell they were in a place like this. Although the Ogre had stamped out most of the flames, there were still a couple of spots that still burned and provided Fionna enough light to spot a cluster of little plants with familiar tiny white flowers.

_"Jackpot! Just gotta grab some and get the hell outta here."_

Without hesitation Fionna yanked the plants from the ground and stuffed them in her backpack. She could clean the dirt out later; now her only concern was…

"ROOOOOAAAAARRRR!"

Fionna thought her ears might burst from the noise, to her horror and aggravation the Ogre was standing at the entrance of the cave staring at her with murderous eyes and baring a tusked snarl. With another loud roar he charged into the cave, each footfall reverberating off the cave walls.

"Shit." Fionna dove off to the side just as the Ogre dove at her, slamming his blocky fists into the ground mere moments after she'd scrambled away. She raced around behind him and managed to slice a two foot long gash across his back, causing him to roar in pain and swing around in search of his attacker. His forearm collided with Fionna and sent her crashing into the opposite cave wall, knocking the wind out of her and sending a searing pain through her side. She'd cracked a couple of ribs on impact and the pain was dizzying, but in her painful haze she clutched her side and forced herself to move as quickly as possibly away from the wall. The Ogre was already bearing down upon her though, and as it raised its fists high into the air, preparing to squash the adventuress like an insect, Fionna gathered enough strength and seized the opportunity to give her blade a final swing across the belly of the beast. She knew she'd cut deep because the Ogre froze, and Fionna seen the stomach wound begin to open wider and wider until it burst open… spilling disgusting guts all over her. The lifeless body of the Ogre began to fall, and Fionna had to roll away to avoid getting squished as it hit the ground with a thunderous impact. Exhausted and in pain, she lay on the floor of the cave for a while, the smell of burnt pine needles and Ogre guts flooding her senses to the point she thought she might vomit; with a wince, she finally pulled herself to her feet and limped out of the cave to begin her trek back to the Candy Kingdom. Along the dirt path, Fionna suddenly realized something that she had never felt before, and that was a severe hatred of tea.

It was nearly sun set when Fionna reached her tree-house after delivering the plants to Prince Gumball and allowing the kingdom's doctors to patch her up. Since there was still dried Ogre blood caked on her in spots, she'd have to take a bath and redress her injuries with the extra medical supplies Prince Gumball had made sure she took home with her. He'd looked as if he felt guilty or responsible for her getting hurt, and as much as Fionna would like to agree with that she just couldn't… Injuries were simply part of her job description, but nevertheless they weren't a fun experience. After tacking a note to the front door letting Marshall know her window was unlocked, Fionna headed upstairs to gather a fresh change of clothes to take with her into the bathroom. Wanting to be comfortable and avoid constriction on her injured ribs, which had bruised in a lovely shade of blue and purple, Fionna chose a grey cotton tank top and a sports bra to wear under it along with a pair of blue and grey plaid flannel sleep capris.

Fionna took a little extra time in the shower to make sure she scrubbed the Ogre stink off her body, and by the time she was finished her muscles ached a little less and she smelled like strawberries. After redressing her wounds and getting dressed, Fionna towel dried her hair and left the bathroom to discover Marshall laying on her bed strumming his axe base. The moment he laid eyes on her Fionna saw concern flood into his deep red irises.

"Fi, what happened to you?"

"An Ogre happened." She chuckled weakly, sauntering over to sit beside him on the bed, she sighed in relief to finally be sitting down once more. Marshall listened intently as Fionna told him about how she'd wound up going on another shopping mission for Gumball, only this time she'd gotten the shit beat out of her by an Ogre's arm and stone cave wall. Fionna rested her head in her hands for a moment, "I don't mean to be a prude and complain Marshall, but I'm just frustrated… or maybe I'm just tired and cranky, I don't know but I'm just sick of being a damn errand girl! I adventure to find treasure and help people with _real_ problems… not do their shopping, ya know?"

She looked over to Marshall with those big blue eyes that pulled him in like they always did, and he nodded intently as he suddenly felt a bit of anger burn towards Gumball and how Fionna could have gotten injured worse than she was or even killed. The very thought of her dying sickened Marshall in a way he'd never felt before, and honestly it kind of scared him.

"Why don't you tell him you need to save your energy for tougher missions?" Marshall suggested, "You are human after all, and even though you're tough as nails you still need to rest now and again. Plus, with those ribs of yours getting cracked you're going to need some down time for a couple weeks."

Fionna opened her mouth to object but Marshall placed a finger on her lips to silence her, making Fionna blush slightly as she felt his cool skin against her warm lips.

"Aaa isn't going to break and fall apart Fi, it survived before you were born and it will certainly survive a couple of weeks while you rest and heal." He smiled warmly at her and pulled her into a gentle hug, which unlike Gumball's hug, sent butterflies on a rage party in Fionna's stomach as she rested her head against his head. A smile graced her lips when she heard him whisper into her hair, "Such a little ass-kicker".

The pair wouldn't be going to the festival that evening, instead Fionna was content to lay in Marshall's surprisingly tender embrace and feel that strange warmth she was starting to feel whenever he was around.

Could she possibly…? Nah, she couldn't.


	5. Pain Meds and Licorice

It was a fairly quiet evening; Fionna had spent the past three days lazing around and taking it easy under direct orders from Marshall, who had been kind enough to stay with her until Cake returned home. Although she had tried to argue with him, insisting that Dr. Ice Cream had informed her that her rib injury wasn't very severe and only slightly fractured, Fionna ultimately lost the battle when Cake actually took his side. She had come home Sunday evening to check on Fionna after hearing that her dear sister had been injured. However, much to Fionna's surprise and even suspicion, Cake informed her that she had to go _back _to Lord M's for a few days but that she would call and check up on her.

"Alright fang-boy, you take care of my baby girl and absolutely no funny business!" Cake said sassily as she wiggled a warning finger at Marshall before picking up her bulging suitcase, unaware that Fionna was silently observing just how full the suitcase was.

"Sheesh cake" Marshall sighed, "you act like I'm going to violate her or something."

"You mentally violate me every day Marshall…" Fionna growled from her place on the couch, her hand resting on her injured side as she lay against her pillows. Cake cocked an eyebrow at Marshall, and instantly he could feel a lecture coming on.

"Cake, Fionna couldn't be any safer…" Marshall leaned down where only Cake could hear him "I'll guard her with my life, I promise."

Cake blinked at him in surprise, then glanced over at Fionna on the couch who gave her sister a tired yet reassuring smile, "Have fun at Lord M's okay sis?"

"Will do Babycakes, you just hurry up and get better for me. Love ya!"

"Love you too sis."

Once Cake had left, Marshall breathed a sigh of relief and sauntered over to sit next to Fionna on the sofa, he was cautious to not sit on her feet since they were hidden beneath a quilt. They sat in silence for a moment, and Marshall could hear Fionna breathing softly; looking over he seen that she had her eyes closed and looked quite peaceful. The pain pills she had taken not too long ago tended to make her drowsy and she typically ended up napping for a couple of hours between doses. Figuring that he should let her rest, Marshall lay back against the couch to rest his own eyes. He recalled his visit to the Candy Kingdom earlier that day when he went to get more of Fionna's medicine for her from Dr. Ice Cream.

_"I'm glad to hear that she's resting, Marshall." Dr. Ice Cream sounded relieved as he handed Marshall the little bag with Fionna's prescriptions inside. _

_"It wasn't easy doc," Marshall laughed, "She acts like the world's gonna fall apart if she isn't there to save it 24/7." _

_"Well as much as the world needs Fionna, it needs her when she's good and healthy. If she tried to do anything now she'd only end up hurting herself even worse and prolonging the injury."_

_Marshall nodded; a distant look suddenly crept onto his face for a moment as he thought of Fionna resting at the tree house. The doctor's voice suddenly pulled him from his thoughts, "She really is something, isn't she Marshall?"_

_"…Yeah, she is." Marshall said, smiling to himself._

_"You take care of her, alright?" _

_"I will, whether she likes it or not." Marshall flashed a fanged grin and chuckled a bit when he seen the doctor shiver. Despite everyone knowing he was good friends with their protector, Marshall liked the fact that he could still give the citizens of the Candy Kingdom the heeby- jeebies if he felt like it. With a casual wave, he left the hospital and headed toward the main gate of the Candy Kingdom with his black umbrella protecting him from the sun's rays. There was a large crowd of citizens gathered at the gate, talking excitedly as they cleared a path when the gate opened and a row of four ornately dressed rock candy guards marched through. To be made of sugary sweetness, the surprisingly brutish guards looked as if they could actually kick some ass; they were far different than the pathetic Banana guards that Gumball had guarding the city. Marshall looked over to see a few of the Banana guards trying to compare muscle size to this new competition and looking slightly deflated, Marshall bit his lip to keep from laughing. _

_Behind the rock candy guards came six young women, all appeared to be of royalty and Marshall realized that these must be the guests for Gumball's tea party that Fionna had mentioned… in other words these were all potential wives for the prince._

_Marshall watched as they all walked by daintily, their candy hair dressed in elaborate styles just like their clothes. One appeared to be butter-scotch another was pink taffy and reminded Marshall a lot of Gumball, if she was in to science-y stuff the man would probably wed her tomorrow. The next two were twins and looked like a sort of glassy lemon flavored candy, the next appeared to be peanut butter and the last one took Marshall completely by surprise. At first he almost thought she was a vampire, due to her gray skin and red eyes, but then he caught a whiff of licorice and nearly gagged. Marshall absolutely HATED licorice, even the red kind, it always left a nasty bitter taste in his mouth. He realized that the licorice princess was eyeing him strangely, her eyebrow raised and she gave off a "holier than thou" demeanor as she strutted past in a tight black dress. Marshall wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if she had a licorice whip hidden in her purse that she used to beat her subjects, she just looked like that kind of royalty and he knew Gumball would either hate her or she would try to make him her man bi… you get the point._

_"This should be interesting." The vampire muttered to himself as he flew off in the direction of the tree house, and back to his little Fionna._

Marshall opened his eyes, he had fallen asleep sitting up and now had a sore neck. With a low grunt, he popped his neck to relieve the tension before looking over at the sleeping blonde next to him. The medicine still had Fionna knocked out, but at least she was comfortable and resting. She looked so peaceful and adorable like that, all bundled up like a little burrito with just her face and a bit of hair exposed, her little pink lips slightly open as she breathed softly.

She needed to get better soon… Marshall was feeling the need to pick on her again and rough house, just so he could be close to her again and not have to worry about hurting her ribs or anything. But until then he had to gentle with her, and although he could do that it was difficult when he was so used to rough housing with her and stealing her hat. He could always just man up and kiss her, that was gentle, but what if she didn't like him back? He'd really be in some deep crap then, but still she was only seventeen and even though he was technically frozen at the age twenty, that age gap just didn't feel right to him. He sighed and got up to raid the fridge, knowing that there would be delicious apples waiting for him.


	6. Seduction

**Hey everyone! Here's another chapter for you :D I'm finally done for the semester so I'm hoping to update more often ^.^ Don't forget to read and review and thanks to all of you who follow and favorite my story :) the support is much appreciated so enjoy!**

"Alright, again! Pretend I'm a nasty troll that just stole Cake."

"HIIIIYA!" Fionna swung her crystal sword with such force that Marshall heard the wind whip past his face, the blade narrowly avoiding him as he stepped back.

"Alright you're getting better!" Marshall said happily, giving Fionna a high five, "How're the ribs feeling?"

"They haven't hurt at all the past week, I feel great!" Fionna grinned, "Ready to train some more?"

Marshall smirked and beckoned Fionna forward with his hands "Come at me blondie!"

He easily avoided her attacks, laughing as she tried harder and harder to land a hit on him. She had finally recovered after what seemed like forever. It had taken nearly six weeks until the doctor gave her the all clear to go back to adventuring; however he had advised Marshall to help her get back in shape if she was a little rusty. Dr. Ice Cream had obviously underestimated Fionna, because she was still as lethal and quick as she ever was. Still, being the friend that he was, Marshall helped to hone her skills for two more weeks just to make sure she was really alright. As he dodged yet another attack, an idea sparked in Marshall's mind, something that would really help Fionna to up her skills and give her a new edge on her enemies, especially the more powerful ones… If he unloaded just a few more of his abilities, it would help Fionna train harder and of course it would be very amusing for him if he got to use a _particular _ability.

"Okay break time Fi! You're really doing awesome."

Fionna put her hands on her hips proudly, "I'm kicking your butt today aren't I?"

Marshall paused, already knowing the answer she expected, "Well… sort of…"

"Eh? What do ya mean sort of? You're not going easy on me are you?" Fionna appeared to puff up a little, going up on her toes to make herself look tougher and it made Marshall start to chuckle.

"You fight great Fi, you have all the strength and power to kick major ass… But I'm not even using all my strength or wicked powers on you, soooo I guess we'll never know exactly how much ass you can really kick." He turned to saunter away, grinning mischievously when his back was turned to her and his eyes glowing a deep red.

"You've been holding out on me Marsh!? What the flip dude! You gotta kick it up a notch on me." Fionna said in a mix of frustration and excitement, as she watched Marshall rummage through her pile of weapons in the corner. "You suuure about that Fi? I dunno if you can handle it; I mean I am the Vampire King after all."

"Yes I'm sure! If it's gonna help me become an even better fighter that's a flippin no brainer for me!"

"…What power do you want me to use? There's my shadow form, super speed, sedu…"

"I DON'T CARE JUST COME AT ME BRO!"

She had taken the bait… Oooh this was just a treat.

Marshall turned to Fionna, that deep red, heated glow still shown in his eyes as he walked slowly yet confidently toward her. She was poised for battle, ready to leap out of the way at the first move he made… But he wasn't doing anything, just getting closer and closer and looking her up and down with those eyes of his.

"Such a beautiful weapon you have…" He stopped a few inches from Fionna's sword, and gingerly ran his finger near the edge of the blade in admiration. Fionna thought he'd gone nuts, she'd expected him to come at her full force and be narrowly dodging his attacks… instead he's casually talking about her weapon.

"Strong, and beautiful… Just like you, Fi."

Fionna's eyes went wide and felt her cheeks become flushed; did he seriously just call her beautiful? Marshall couldn't believe this was actually working on her, the oldest vampire trick in the book… seduction. With a gentle motion, he pushed the tip of the sword out of his way and stepped closer to Fionna, looking down at her with half lidded eyes. "How did those cheeks of yours get so red? Did I do that to you?" He asked huskily as he caressed her right cheek with his hand and felt the heat seep into his cool skin. She was absolutely burning up! It was hard to believe that he could have that effect on her so easily, and honestly he thought he'd have to try a lot harder with. Marshall let his hand trace down her neck and leaned closer and closer to her ear, still half expecting for her to snap out of her stupor and kick the shit out of him; his lips were less than an inch from her earlobe, and both hands rested gently on her shoulders as he whispered "I wonder what else I can make you do".

The sword clattered to the floor and Marshall felt Fionna's body shiver as his breath tickled her ear and neck, he heard the rush of her blood and her breath hitch in her throat.

"M-Marshall?" Fionna squeaked.

"And that's where you'd be dead!" Marshall stepped back with a triumphant look on his face, "You failed big time Fi. That was the power of seduction, and many vampires use it to get the upper hand on the opposite sex."

Fionna gaped at him in shock and confusion, her face was still flushed and her heart beat hadn't quite slowed down yet.

"You okay Fi?" Marshall chuckled, ruffling her hair and grinning at her.

"I'mgonnagogetsomeair!" With that, she bolted out the door. Leaving Marshall to fall on the floor laughing; as funny as that had been, he hoped that one day he'd be able to continue where he left off. He hadn't even used the full extent of his ability, and seeing how much of an effect he could have on her gave Marshall a sense of empowerment and excitement, knowing that there was in fact some emotions she kept hidden from him.

"One of these days…" He whispered to himself as he lay on the floor awhile longer.


	7. Bets and Ice Cream

**I know, I know I've been neglecting my duty to my readers. :P sorry for the delay everyone! Once again, thank you to everyone who reviews, follows and favorites this story. You are the reason I keep writing it... that and it's simply too much fun to begin with ^.^ . Anyways, here is chapter seven for ya'll... remember to read and review and I'll get to work on the next one as soon as possible. ;)**

**~MirrorStorm~**

Fionna burst out the front door of the tree house into the late evening sun which was nearly hidden beyond the horizon; she fell to her knees in the thick grass to catch her breath. Her heart was still pounding away in her chest, and for some unexplainable reason she had the urge to run back inside and tackle Marshall Lee onto the couch with a lip lock. Never before had Gumball made her feel like that, which proved to Fionna even more that what she'd felt with him was just a simple crush… This… This was something new and completely foreign to her.

"Hey Bun-Bun?"

"Eep!...Eh, yeah?" Fionna nervously peeked over her shoulder. Marshall was standing in the shadows of the porch holding the phone in his hand; he smirked when Fionna blushed at the very sight of him. Just for kicks he made his eyes smolder a lustful red color that made her stop in her tracks as she got up to approach him. Fionna groaned and snapped her eyes shut in determination, running blind up the steps she snatched the phone from Marshall's hand and darted past him into the house.

"Hello?"  
"Hey baby Cakes!" Cake's voice replied through the receiver, "I'm still at Lord M's… I miss you so much."

"I miss you too sis… Is everything okay? You sound a little different."

There was a pause on the other line, "Y-yeah everything's _fine _but I do need to talk to you soon. Like… tonight if at all possible. Think you and fang face can make it to the Candy Kingdom in about an hour and meet me at the Sweet Spoon Ice Cream Shop? I'll get you a Sundae if you like."

"Yeah sure thing! We'll see you soon."

"Alright, bye honey."

Fionna clicked the phone off and turned to find Marshall hovering on his stomach, a mere three inches from her face. He smiled at her, and she felt that weird fluttery feeling in her stomach again and blood rushed to her cheeks once more.

"Gawd would you stop! You're gonna give me a heart attack Marsh." Fionna gasped, walking around the vampire.

"Oh so I actually scared you that time? Heh heh heh." Marshall chuckled darkly and floated after her, toying with a few strands of her blonde hair."Pssh, nope!" Fionna swatted his hands away and went to pick up her green back pack from the corner of the room, swinging it casually onto one shoulder.

"We're meeting Cake at Sweet Spoon for Sundaes, and she said she wanted to talk with me about something." Fionna stated as she and Marshall made their way out of the tree house. "I hope everything's alright with her, she sounded a bit… off."

"I'm sure everything's fine." Marshall said, floating down to walk beside Fionna as she strode through the grass, his hands tucked into his pockets, "In fact, I'll make a bet with you Fionna dear…"

"I don't like where this is going…"

"I bet, that it's good news… and you seem to be betting the opposite, miss Debbie Downer… Sooo if I win…" He placed his arm around Fionna, drawing her closer to his side, "You have to do whatever I say for one whole day."

"You're kidding!?"

"Nope, not even close." Marshall chuckled, ruffling her hair. He noticed that she hadn't made any attempt to get his arm off of her, and quickly decided not to point it out so that his little moment wasn't ruined.

"What do you bet then Fi?"

"The same thing as you, Marsh." She said proudly, looking determined. In her mind, she was envisioning having Marshall clean the entire tree house and forcing him to wear one of Cake's frilly homemade aprons. What she didn't realize was that Marshall quickly caught on to a loop hole in her words, if he could make her shake hands on this bet then it would just be… _priceless_.

"The _exact_ same thing as me?" Marshall asked her one more time, and to his delight Fionna nodded eagerly. With a wicked grin, he held out his hand to her and Fionna gave it a firm shake… The deal was struck.

The pair continued their journey toward the Candy Kingdom, joking and talking the whole way there. Marshall was actually taking a break from teasing Fionna for once, allowing her to return to a sense of normalcy where he could hear the steady, calm beat of her heart. He'd have plenty of time to mess with her after they met with Cake.

Fionna knew they were close when the smell of funnel cake and other sugary noms, wafted into her senses. And sure enough, as she and Marshall trekked up the dirt path over a large hill, they sighted the gates of the Candy Kingdom just a short distance away.

"I wonder how mad Gumball would be if I drank the red out of all the lamp posts." Marshall pondered aloud, looking at the warm glow of the peppermint street lights. He chuckled when Fionna lightly nudged him in the ribs. "You'd have a wicked mean cavity if you did that, dude. Don't want your fangs falling out now do we?"

They rounded the third corner they came to in the maze of sugary shops and homes where the silver spoon was located. The dainty little mint green ice cream shop was nestled between two gingerbread houses, and sure enough Cake was waiting for them at one of the patio tables beneath the cute, honey colored lights strung along the edge of the shop. She waved them over with a smile, where a cherry sundae and a hot fudge sundae waited for them on the table.

"Eat up ya'll, these are my treat to you." Cake said kindly as Marshall and Fionna sat across from her. Fionna quickly thanked Cake with a hug and dug into hers immediately after.

"Thank you…" Marshall said softly, seeing that Cake had made sure the ice cream was colored red. She looked up at him in surprise, taken aback by his simple act of politeness.

"No problem fang face." The cat chuckled. She looked down at her paws for a moment, her expression softening as she fell silent. It was then that Marshall could see the tiredness in her eyes, and how she didn't really seem all the same… just like Fionna had said earlier.

"So Cake," Marshall began, snapping Cake out of her thoughts, "What was it that you wanted Fionna here for?" He leaned down to take a bite of sundae.

Cake was quiet for a moment longer, then simply stated "I'm having babies."

Marshall nearly swallowed his spoon in shock, and Fionna had to slap him on the back repeatedly to get him to stop coughing. In the midst of the chaos, Fionna looked at her sister with joy and disbelief.

"Cake that's friggin algebraic! I'm gonna be an aunt! And you're gonna be a mom that's so math!"

She left Marshall's side to embrace her sister in a hug, "When are you due?"

"Not for another seven months is what the doctor told me… But there's something else I need to talk to you about Fionna. If it's alright I'd like to talk to you in private… away from eavesdropping vampire ears." She cast a glance over at Marshall, who was poking his sundae cautiously as if it would leap out and attack him.

"Sure thing sis, we'll be back in a minute Marsh."

Marshall watched as Fionna and Cake walked down the road until they were sure he was out of ear shot. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, deciding to be polite and let the girls have their privacy. He closed his eyes and began to ponder what he could have Fionna do since he was already winning the bet.

As an idea formed within his innermost thoughts, a smile began to spread across his face.

"Hot damn it feels good to be bad." He said to himself, reaching to take another bite of sundae.

It wasn't long after that Fionna and Cake came back to the table, and instantly Marshall picked up on Fionna's sudden change in mood and behavior; she looked almost, _shocked _or numb at the very least.

"Are you okay Fi?" Marshall asked, immediately concerned. Cake patted Fionna's arm, "She's fine Marshal, just a little shocked is all."

"About what? She was happy a minute ago."

"Cake's moving out…" Fionna said, her soft voice was barely above a whisper.


	8. A New Chapter

_"Fionna honey, you know I'll always be your big sis and love you right?" Cake asked once they were out of ear shot from Marshall. Fionna nodded in response, still smiling at the news of Cake's pregnancy._

_"Well then I suppose you'll understand... Mochro and I have been talking during this whole thing and we've decided to get married as well… _

_"That's aweso…!"_

_"That means I can't live at the tree house with you anymore, sugar."_

_Fionna blinked; her mouth slightly open as she tried to find words… She'd be living at the tree house alone? _

_"Fionna, I'm going to be a wife and a mother… and I can't do that if I'm living miles away from my family. And besides… as much as I hate to admit it, you're growing up as well; You'll be eighteen in three months and whether you like it or not you're becoming a woman, and a strong, independent one at that. Believe me if I didn't think you could take care of yourself and live on your own we would never be having this conversation. I trust you honey."_

_"…You really think I can do this Cake?"_

_Cake nodded reassuringly and smiled lovingly at her sister, taking her hand into her paws.  
"I have complete faith in you… It might be hard at first, but I'll show you the ropes of taking care of a house and you'll be all set."_

_Fionna nodded wordlessly, and somberly followed Cake back to where Marshall was waiting._

_(Back to the Present)_

Fionna and Marshall were on their way back to the tree house, the sun had gone down some time ago and now the summer sky was an inky, bluish black that glittered with a brilliant display of stars. The full moon cast its warm glow down on the pair as they continued their journey through the grasslands. Marshall was floating beside Fionna, talking animatedly in excitement that Fionna now had a home all to herself… Fionna on the other hand, wasn't much in the mood for celebrations.

"You're gonna have the whole tree house to yourself?!"

"Yep…"

"So that means you can do whatever you want…"

"Yep…"

"Whenever you want?!"

"Yep…"

Marshall swooped down to hover in front of Fionna and grasped her shoulders "Why aren't you pumped about this woman!?"

Fionna looked up at him from beneath her bangs, her eyes were glassy and her lower lip poked out into the most pitiful pout Marshall had ever laid eyes on. The fact that it was Fionna pouting didn't really help any.

"…You're pouting… Holy hell I never thought I'd see that." He half chuckled, brushing Fionna's bangs away from her face.

"I don't wanna lose Cake…" Fionna said in a shaky voice, her lower lip trembling.

"Hey now…" Marshall said softly as his feet touched solid ground. He gently pulled Fionna into a hug, stroking her hair affectionately when suddenly he felt her sob into his shoulder.

"Ssshh, you're not gonna lose her, Fi. I promise…" Marshall said soothingly, though he was struggling to think of something to say that would really comfort her. He'd have to just wing it and hope for the best. "Cake is just opening a new chapter in her life… and you are too. This all would have happened eventually Fi, so try to think of this as a whole new adventure for you." He paused a moment, "I mean… did you think it would always just be you and Cake and adventuring?"

Fionna sniffed and pulled back a bit to look at Marshall, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "I… I don't know, I mean I kinda knew she and Mochro would settle down eventually I mean… that's what ya do when ya love someone right? You settle down with them?"

Marshall nodded, "When you find that person you just click with… then yeah… you can settle down with them."

"I… How would I know when I found that person?" Fionna asked, leaving Marshall at a loss for words. He merely smiled at her and brushed a tear away from her cheek with his thumb. Her cheeks reddened a bit at the gentle motion.

"That's kinda hard to explain Bun-Bun..." He said softly, and then abruptly changed the subject. "Let's get you home, m'kay? I'll fly us there."

"Marsh I can wa.."

"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." With that, he scooped her up bridal style and flew off in the direction of the tree house. He felt her little hand clutch on to his shirt a bit when he sped up, and laughed a little to himself.

"I'm not gonna drop you Fi, you know that."

Awhile later, Marshall came down to land on the window sill of Fionna's bedroom. Her room was dark, so he let Fionna down in the little pool of moon light near the window where she wouldn't trip over anything.

"Home sweet home, Fi."

"Thanks Marsh, really." Fionna suddenly pulled him into a hug, which the vampire gladly returned. He rested his chin atop her head, relishing the scent of strawberries and sunshine in her hair. When they pulled away from each other, Marshall affectionately ruffled Fionna's hair before he turned to leave. His foot was on the window sill when he heard her soft voice.

"Don't leave… please?"

Marshall looked over his shoulder at her in surprise, and when he did… the sight of Fionna standing there, her hair a mess, glowing with an ethereal aura from the silvery light of the moon, it caused something to click within Marshall's very being. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he felt as though he never wanted to leave Fionna's side again. He wanted nothing more than to protect her, to comfort her, and to love her; to help her be all she could be and nothing less.

"… I'll stay as long as you want me here, Fi." Marshall said, as he turned away from the open window.

Fionna nodded and went to lay on her bed where she curled up in a little ball on top of the covers. Cautiously, Marshall went to sit beside her, leaning against the head board with his knees pulled toward him.

"Ya know… It was kinda good and bad news, what Cake told us." Marshall began.

Fionna sighed, and peeked over at him, "I suppose so… does this mean we both win the bet?"

Marshall, look down at her and flashed her a fanged smile, "Nope, just me." Fionna quickly sat up, looking a bit like her old self, "What the glob do you mean by that?" she challenged.

"Remember what the bets were Fi?"

Fionna nodded, "Yep, if I lost I had to do whatever you wanted for one whole day."

"Now remind me, what was your bet again?" Marshall's grin became more wicked, making Fionna blush a little.

"My bet was the exact same thing as yo….." Her eyes suddenly grew wide, she had realized the error in her words. "But I meant you had to…"

"Na-ah-ah…" Marshall wagged a finger at her, "You shook on it. Therefore… since you bet the _exact _same thing as me, then that means you have to do whatever I say for one whole day… _again_."

Fionna was speechless, but mentally she was kicking herself in the rear for not being more specific when she made the deal with Marshall. And Glob only knew what he would have her do… clean his house? Make him dinner? Make a fool of her-self? This was the frickin Vampire King so the possibilities were endless.

"Look like I have you all to myself for two whole days my little bunny." Marshall purred, his eyes glowed that heated red color that made Fionna's breath hitch in her throat, and her heart beat ever so quickly.

Marshall reached down to take a strand of her blonde hair and twirled it around his fingers, "I'm going to enjoy this, Fi."

Fionna was out the bedroom door in under a second; seeking the safety of the living room. With a triumphant smile, Marshall stretched out on Fionna's bed and put his hands behind his head, breathing a relaxed sigh.

He really was going to enjoy himself.


	9. A Party to Crash

**Nice long chapter for everyone! Hope you enjoy it J Remember to read and review, I get a magical gift called 'inspiration' every time I get reviews ;). So without further ado… Here is chapter nine.**

It was almost noon when Cake trotted up the steps of the tree house; she'd brought along a back pack full of books on house-keeping, recipes for delicious meals and even some on decorating. She wasn't sure if Fionna would use any of the tips and advice she planned on giving her but it was certainly worth a shot. She didn't want to just throw her sister into a life of taking care of herself, so if she could just teach her the basics then she would be able to rest a little easier at night. Cake felt a little nudge in her belly as she opened the front door and stepped into the living room. Patting the spot where the nudge had come from, she smiled softly to herself before announcing her presence.

"Fionna baby, I'm here! Hope you didn't forget about me givin' you lessons already girl!"

Cake nearly had a heart attack when Fionna suddenly sat up from under a pile of blankets on the couch. The girl's hair was a wild mess, and she was still in the clothes she had worn the day before.

"Mornin' Cake, what time is it?" Fionna yawned and got up to stretch.

"It's noon!" Cake said sassily, "How late were you up last night?"

"….uuuuhhh…."

"Sorry, I kept her up reeeeally late last night." Marshall interrupted as he came down into the living room.

"_HIIIIIISSSSSS!_ What did you do to my baby girl ya damn dirty blood sucker!?" She extended her claws and went to attack Marshall, when suddenly Fionna stepped in the way.

"It's okay sis! He's just gettin' you worked up, nothing happened." Fionna was more concerned about Cake accidentally hurting her unborn litter than she was about Marshall. Even if Cake were to scratch him up, he'd heal in no time so his safety wasn't much of an issue… unless Cake had a wooden stake that neither Fionna nor Marshall knew about.

"He'd better be kidding! Preggers or not, I'll hurt him real good." Cake gave a low growl and flicked her tail before heading toward the kitchen, giving Marshall the evil eye the whole way. Fionna sighed and shook her head as she went to follow Cake into the kitchen, but stopped abruptly when Marshall brushed past her and whispered, "I get you later this evening Bunny, remember that". He winked playfully at her and headed out the front door with his trusty umbrella to shield him from the sun.

Fionna gulped, she'd almost forgotten about the whole do-as-I-say thing that started that morning; he'd been surprisingly easy on her, and hadn't even given her the first command or anything. All of a sudden, Marshall popped his head back in the front door and grinned at Fionna, "First order of the day… Do everything Cake tells you, and get that noggin of yours filled up with all kinds of knowledge and stuff."

"DANG IT!"

With a loud guffaw, the vampire was out the door once more, leaving Fionna standing in the middle of the living room with her fists clenched into balls. She had a feeling this day was gonna suck big time.

"Fionna, the first thing I wanna show you today is how to do laundry. We'll start with that and then move to some basic cooking skills alright?"

With a groan, Fionna sulked into the kitchen to begin her lessons on Housekeeping 101.

_Awhile Later….._

Marshall strode casually into the center of the Candy Kingdom, his free hand rested comfortably in the pocket of his jeans, while he merrily whistled the tune of _"Bad Little Boy"_. It wasn't long until he reached his destination, a small, pale yellow shop with large glass windows that displayed several luxurious dresses in all shapes, colors and sizes. It was a rather frilly looking shop, and he looked a bit out of place entering the front door but he knew this was where he needed to go in order to get Fionna ready for that evening.

"Can I help you sir?" A soft voice asked from somewhere in the back of the store. Marshall glanced around until his eyes came to rest on a little old raisin lady with a cane and large spectacles that made her eyes bug out bigger than normal.

"Uuuhh, yeah actually I'm buying a dress for a… uh, a lady friend of mine." Marshall rubbed the back of his neck, a little nervous as he wondered what the little old lady would need to know about Fionna before he could even pick a dress.

"Ah I see! Well sonny, take a look around and then we'll talk measurements. Is there any particular style or color that you think she'd like?"

Marshall tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Well, she has these really wild sky blue eyes… and blue also happens to be her favorite color so I'll stick with that."

"Good choice! We've got a bunch of different shades to pick from, so have a look."

She wasn't kidding… the old woman handed him a gigantic swatch book filled with every shade of the rainbow that the store carried. Quickly flipping through the swatch book, Marshall soon found the identical shade of blue that matched Fionna's eyes. With a smile, he handed it to the old woman, and then flipped to the section with a bunch of black patterns and laces.

"Picking another color dear?"

"Sure thing… Here we go." He handed her a swatch of elegant black lace, then went to look at the different dress styles that were on display. It wasn't long before the old woman began to pick up on Marshall's excitement, because he grabbed a mannequin and carried it over to her, claiming that it matched Fionna's body type perfectly. He also snatched a dress from another mannequin and brought it to her; it had a sweetheart bust with halter straps that tied in an elegant bow, the back of the skirt was short enough to fall just above Fionna's ankles and the front of the skirt was a little longer than her knees. After giving the old woman some fine point details about how he wanted the dress to look, Marshall said goodbye and headed to a couple of other shops to pick out everything else for that evening.

Prince Gumball didn't notice the vampire flitting from shop to shop… He was finishing handing out announcements for the masquerade ball that would be held that evening in the grand ballroom. The debutants were still staying at the castle, since he was taking the time to get to know each of them before he made a decision on whom to marry. He did have someone in mind, but wasn't entirely dead set on giving her a ring anytime soon.

Marshall, on the other hand, was making sure to stay out of Gumball's line of sight… he still had a couple of hours to kill until it was time to pick up Fionna's dress. He waited at the Sweet Spoon Ice Cream Shop for a while, leisurely sipping on a red velvet milkshake and trying to envision Fionna in the finished dress… if his fantasies lived up to reality, it would be quite the sight.

_Back at the tree house…._

"Uuughh Cake… I'm dying…."

"No you're not; you're just scrubbing dishes… Now put some muscle into it! That cheese sauce is really stuck on it girl."

Fionna groaned and continued to scrub with the little duck shaped dish scrubber that Cake had brought her. She gave a tired glance around the tree house, not accustomed to seeing it in such immaculate condition. The late evening air smelled of fresh laundry, most of which was out drying on clothes lines beneath the last few rays of sun for the day. There were a few different dishes that Cake and helped her to prepare so that she would know how to cook them on another day, but until then they could be frozen and reheated at her convenience. Upstairs, Cake had taken the time to back her belongings in a few boxes and stack them neatly in the corner of the bedroom for Mochro to pick up later. She had also reorganized Fionna's weapons into the dresser that had once been her bed.

"Am I seriously going to have to do this much housework everyday sis?" Fionna asked as she began drying the last few dishes.

"Nope, the place is spotless now so all you have to do is take the time to pick up after yourself. It really isn't hard at all if you just stay on top of it daily."

"Boo…"

Cake patted her sister on the shoulder, "Just pretend the dishes are ugly trolls that need to be scrubbed clean… does that help."

"A little bit, yeah. But I'm already done sooo, what now?"

Marshall suddenly burst through the front door, flying past them and saying "You stay the heck out of your room for five minutes, that's what you do!"

The sisters exchanged confused glances before darting upstairs to the bedroom door. It was locked, so Fionna banged on it with her fist in mock anger, "Open up pretty boy! You better not be going through my underwear!"

Marshall was silent a moment, "I'm naked at the moment Fionna… Please feel free to kick the door in at any moment and behold the wonder that is I" he said seductively.

"Damn vampire… " Fionna growled. She and Cake waited patiently for a couple of minutes until they heard the door unlock and watched it slowly creep open.

"Alright what the heck is this all abooouuu- what is that?" Fionna's attention suddenly became focused on the ensemble that was laid out on her bed. Her eyes gazed in awe at the satin sky blue dress that was trimmed in elegant black lace around the hem of the skirt and train, and a small black sash tied around the middle. Along with the dress was a pair of strappy black flats, an elegant blue and black masquerade mask, a black lace choker with a blue gem in the center and a simple black head band with a tiny crystal bunny on one side.

"Marshall…" Fionna breathed, "Is this mine?"

"All yours Bun-Bun." Marshall stepped into Fionna's line of sight, and her eyes went wide the moment she saw him. His typical messy black hair was styled into a slightly neater fashion, and he sported a rich black tail coat and pants. The blue gems in his cufflinks matched the gem in Fionna's choker, his shirt was a deep blue, and his ornate silver mask covered only his eyes and nose like Fionna's did… leaving his suddenly proud smile for Fionna and Cake to see.

"You look… wooow…" Fionna trailed off; all the while her inner monologue self was screaming _"DAAAYUM!"_

"Cake would you mind helping her get ready?" Marshall asked, "We've got a party to crash in an hour."

"Crash?" Fionna asked, tilting her head a bit in curiosity.

"It's another thing Gumball is throwing for the debutants, he's had like two already but sooomeone couldn't go because they were hurt. So I figured we could go enjoy ourselves for a while and then later on when we get bored… We'll just add a little Fio and Marshall edge to the party." Marshall stepped closer to Fionna and rested his hands on her shoulders, "Plus, I never got to take you to the festival you wanted to go to before you got hurt, so in other words I'm trying to make it up to you I suppose." Even behind his mask, Fionna could see a bit of color come to his cheeks.

"Thanks Marsh," Fionna said softly, smiling up at him. They stayed like that for a moment, just gazing at each other until Cake cleared her throat loudly, snapping them out of their moment.

"I'll wait downstairs." Marshall said, exiting the room and closing the door to give the girls some privacy.

The whole thirty minutes he waited, Marshall twiddled his thumbs nervously. At last he heard the bedroom door open, and Fionna's cautious steps as she came down the stairs into the living room. His little bunny was the image of perfection… there was simply no other way to put it. The dress fit perfectly, showing off her beautiful curves and the black lace accents and the choker were perfect compliments to the eye-catching color. Fionna's hair was swept up in an elegant bun, accented by the headband with little wisps of hair falling down to compliment her face where her vivid eyes stood out against smokey eye makeup and glossed lips. Marshall had to admit the hair style was perfect for her because it showed off the creamy skin of her neck and shoulders... Maybe he should convince her to wear it up more often.

"You look amazing Fi, heads are gonna be turning tonight" Marshall said softly, he grinned a little when he seen Fionna's cheeks become flushed despite how she quickly tried to hide it by putting on her mask.

"T-thanks…" She said shyly. Marshall stepped forward and took her hand, leaning down to kiss it in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Shall we go then m'lady?"

Fionna smiled and nodded eagerly; and as they left Cake alone in the house, the cat could suddenly see it clear as day.

"He's in love with my baby sister…"

**See? Marshall had something a bit sweeter in mind :P More romantic goodness in the next chapter so get ready! **


	10. Intimidation

**Chapter Ten is here for my lovely readers, so please enjoy and remember to R&R! Thanks to everyone who is following this story ^.^ And to the reader who said they would, ahem "HUNT YOU AND MAKE YOU EAT AN ADVENTURE TIME CAKE!" if I did not finish this fanfic, I shall have you know that I positively adore ice cream cake ;) so if you could make that happen it would be a glorious experience :D**

**Without further ado, here is chapter ten….**

The soft lighting of the candles on the small tables and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, cast a soft, warm glow over the elegantly dressed crowd of guests. Airy, dainty laughter could be heard from some of the women, who laughed at jokes they really didn't find all that humorous. The men, boasting and complimenting each other on their successes, would occasionally give one another a quick, friendly pat on the shoulder as they sipped champagne or took a draw from a cigar. Prince Gumball stood back a bit from the crowd, listening as the orchestra played the works of Mozart and Beethoven that had been passed down from musician to musician over the centuries. In his hand was a glass of champagne, which he sipped daintily as his eyes scanned the crowd of guests from behind his mauve mask. The debutants were still in their chambers, getting prepped for the event… logically they were supposed to be the most elaborately dressed and beautiful attendees of this masquerade, since they were royalty and what not. Still, in Gumball's mind, did it really take this long to look good? The party was going to be starting any minute. A moment passed before he went to take another sip of champagne; but the moment he placed his lips on the rim of the glass, Gumball seen the doors to the ball room open up…

And there she was…

An angel adorned in sky blue satin, and black lace, her beautiful blonde hair swept up into a bun and the creamy skin of her shoulders accentuated by the halter straps of her gown. She looked cautiously around the room before entering it as another group of guests followed behind her.

_"Fionna…" _Gumball recognized her immediately, since she was the only real human in the room; there really was no mistaking her. When did she become so… _beautiful_? He'd never seen her like this before, but she truly was a knock out, and he certainly wasn't the only one staring. Nearly every man in the room, regardless of whether they'd brought a date or not, turned to stare at Fionna… much to the displeasure of their female counterparts.

Gumball frowned when he seen a familiar vampire float in behind Fionna, and take her hand in his as he touched solid ground.

"Marshall…" He grumbled to himself.

The pair was talking and laughing with one another as the guests gradually went back to the conversations they were having before, but most of their hushed words were laced with phrases like "Who's that girl?" "I think she's human…" "What's her name?"

Feeling a twinge of jealousy in his heart, the prince turned away from the scene. He didn't like that his heroine, the defender of Aaa and the Candy Kingdom, was getting this much attention. He had come to realize that if anyone should be eyeing this beautiful young woman, it should be him… Why hadn't he seen it before? Maybe if she wasn't such a damn tom boy he could have picked up on her beauty much sooner.

"See somethin' ya like there, Bonnibeux?" A man's voice said icily from over Gumball's shoulder. Startled, the prince quickly turned to see Marshall looking _down _at him with his arms folded… He wasn't even hovering, and he was a good five inches taller than Gumball. The vampire didn't look the least bit amused by the fact that Gumball had been checking out Fionna… in fact he looked _pissed_.

Marshall leaned down a little closer where only Gumball could hear him, "I'm gonna keep this short, and sweet, ya damn prissy piece of sugar…" He made Gumball turn to look at Fionna, who was happily fixing herself a plate of little sandwiches and snacks at the buffet table.

"You see that young woman there? That's the woman who's been risking life and limb for this land and your damn kingdom since she was thirteen freakin' years old… and up until a few months ago, her sister and I have been the one who've consoled her because you never returned the feelings she used to have for you…"

"She likes me?" Gumball whispered.

"I said 'used to have' you little twerp… Now let me finish!" Marshall hissed; his eyes becoming a bit more demonic when he grabbed Gumball's shoulders and quickly turned him back around to look him dead in the eye. His voice was low, cold, and steady as he continued to speak to the prince, "There are a lot of things about you that really piss me off… but this really puts the cherry on top… the fact that you don't give a _damn_ about Fionna's feelings, and are content to have her run around all over Aaa as your little errand girl. Not to mention the fact that she got hurt and had to recover for two damn months… but then the moment you see her walk through your door looking like a million bucks, you suddenly pull your head out of your ass and see just how bloody wonderful and beautiful she is."

Gumball gulped when he felt Marshall's grip tighten on his shoulders. "This is where you and I are different Pinky; I've seen just how beautiful Fionna is since day one… Her heart is pure, her soul is pure, and unfortunately that purity is what gets her walked on sometimes when people take advantage of her, like you for instance. I don't need Fionna to wear makeup and dress in order to think she's beautiful, in my eyes she's always been the most heavenly thing I've ever seen."

"Don't hurt me…" Gumball suddenly squeaked.

Marshall rolled his eyes, "Do this little favor for me and you'll probably live to a ripe old age… Keep your sticky fingers off of Fionna, and I better not ever see that lustful look in your eyes directed toward her ever again. She's moved on." Just for an added effect, Marshall bared his set of particularly lethal looking fangs at Gumball's face, and disappeared into a wisp of black smoke. A moment later, he materialized beside Fionna, who jumped a little then grinned and showed him all the tasty treats she'd stocked up on her plate.

Gumball was still frozen in shock, but the moment he realized there was a rather large and noticeable wet spot on his pants; he made a mad dash upstairs to get changed.

Marshall had glanced over his shoulder in enough time to see Gumball running upstairs, and smirked to himself.

"Ya havin' fun Marsh?" Fionna asked, taking a bit of a little sandwich. Marshall nodded, "I am… and how about you Bun-Bun?"

Fionna nodded eagerly since her mouth was full of food. She washed it down with a glass of water in order to speak, "Not really digging the music though, it's a little slow."

"Well, I think it might pick up here in a minute. LSP just got here so I know it's gonna turn into more of a party than a masquerade ball." Marshall chuckled, he turned to wave LSP over to them and a moment later the purple prince was hovering near them and holding two glasses of champagne for himself.

"Oh my Glob you guys… This party is like, sucking, so far." LSP groaned, "When did you two get here?"

"Not that long, really; and actually do you think you could help me liven this place up a bit?" Marshall asked, gesturing around the room, "I like classical and all but I think it would be better if we had more upbeat music… really get everyone up and moving ya know?"

"I totally agree dude, I'll make some calls." LSP whipped out his phone and moved away from the crowd, chatting animatedly into the receiver. As they waited, Marshall looked down at Fionna, "See? We'll just amp up the fun and then…" he took her hands, "I think you should dance with me."

"Eh? I'm not that good at dancing Marshall…" Fionna trailed off, but seeing Marshall smiling down at her warmly made her softly say, "alright, just one though".

**I had to cut this chapter a bit short everyone! I apologize for the delay, but I'm already working on the next chapter. I was planning for this one to be much, much longer but it didn't quite turn out that way lol. In other words, I'm breaking their evening down into two chapters to cover it all. I hope you all enjoyed Marshall in this one lol, remember to R&R and I'll have the next one posted in a few days or maybe sooner. Thanks guys!**


	11. Pour Some Sugar on Me

**Here is Chapter Eleven everyone! Brought to you by the fuel of Coca Cola and sleep deprivation :D Haha! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well as the ones that will be coming to you in the near future. Remember to read and review and I'll get started on the next chapter as soon as possible ^.^ . Oh and just as a disclaimer, even though everyone knows this, I do not own Adventure Time or any of the songs in this story :P**

It was only a matter of time until five of LSP's pals from Lumpy Space came barging into the ballroom toting a couple of kegs and band equipment. As if the timing couldn't be better, Gumball re-entered the ball room in a new change of clothes and looked horrified to see the party crashers taking over the stage, much to the frustration of the orchestra players who turned their noses up in distaste and huffed away. In mere minutes, the stage was set and Marshall was feeling pumped to get on stage and kick some ass, however he remembered that he needed to get his axe bass from a certain hiding spot.

"I'll be right back, okay Fi?" Marshall smiled warmly at Fionna, who nodded in response. Without a second thought, he headed towards the balcony and slipped through the curtains into warm summer night. He ghosted up the castle wall as a black mist, and then rematerialized at the top of highest tower. The axe bass glinted like a precious red gem in the moonlight where it was lodged in the roof of the tower. Effortlessly, Marshall pulled the axe from the wall, causing bits of candy to chip off from the force; he slung the deadly instrument around his shoulder and proceeded to float back down to the balcony. Whistling casually to himself, he sauntered back into the ballroom and over to LSP and his friends near the stage, the group quickly decided on what songs to play.

"I think we're set guys… I've got an idea for the chorus by the way." Marshall told the guys in a hushed voice.

"What're ya gonna do?" LSP asked, then quickly drew back a bit when he seen Marshall's eyes glint demonically.

"It's gonna be freaky nasty, I'll tell you that much." The vampire chuckled.

Gumball, not wanting to get on Marshall's bad side, was politely escorting the debutants around and introducing them to the party guests. They had finally come down to the party, and while Gumball had to admit they all looked stunning, he was a bit annoyed that it had taken them so long just to get ready; Nevertheless, he didn't complain so that he didn't upset the girls.

All of a sudden, the lights dimmed and Gumball, along with the guests, turned to see Marshall standing beneath the ethereal glow with his axe bass and a mic on the stage. The vampire's eyes glowed a vicious vermillion red from behind his mask as he brought the mic closer to his lips.

_"Step inside, walk this way, you and me babe… HEY! HEY!"_

Marshall slammed the first chord on his bass, the sound reverberating off the walls of the ballroom and sending chills down Fionna's spine. The rest of the musicians followed suit as Marshall belted out the first verse in a throaty, seductive voice.

_"Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on_

_Livin' like a lover with a radar phone_

_Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp_

_Demolition woman, can I be your man?_

_Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light_

_Television lover, baby, go all night_

_Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet_

_Little miss ah innocent sugar me, yeah!"_

The infectious beat snaked its way through the crowd, and soon everyone was under its spell; arms and hands snaked upward and bodies moved and swayed together hypnotically. Marshall continued to sing, but allowed his feet to leave the ground as he levitated up and over the crowd, still rocking out on the bass.

_"Hey!_

_C'mon, take a bottle, shake it up_

_Break the bubble, break it up!"_

In a split seconf, Marshall dropped to the ground on one knee, striking the axe bass against the ground and causing a spider web of cracks across the floor. A red and black mist ghosted its way out of the crevices, along with a trio of what appeared to be shadow demons, who joined Marshall's side in the chorus of the song.

_"Pour some sugar on me_

_Ooh, in the name of love_

_Pour some sugar on me_

_C'mon, fire me up_

_Pour your sugar on me"_

_Oh, I can't get enough"_

Although Fionna was immensely enjoying the music, she was a bit on edge about _demons _in the ball room with royal guests and what not. Still, she could tell the dark little beasties were under Marshall's control, why else would they pop out of the ground in song? She looked around to see Gumball leaning against a wall, looking a bit forlorn and dejected as his female guests cheered and danced to the song. She thought about going over to check on him, when suddenly a hand on her shoulder spun her around, and she found herself staring into Marshall's eyes.

_"I'm hot, sticky sweet_

_From my head to my feet, yeah…"_

He stroked her cheek tenderly with his finger-tips, then backed away with a smirk as he continued the song, leaving Fionna blushing bright red.

_"Listen! red light, yellow light, green-a-light go!_

_Crazy little woman in a one man show_

_Mirror queen, mannequin, rhythm of love_

_Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up_

_You gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little_

_Tease a little more_

_Easy operator come a knockin' on my door_

_Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet_

_Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah, yeah_

_Give a little more!"_

_Take a bottle, shake it up_

_Break the bubble, break it up_

_Pour some sugar on me_

_Ooh, in the name of love_

_Pour some sugar on me_

_C'mon fire me up_

_Pour your sugar on me_

_Oh, I can't get enough_

_I'm hot, sticky sweet_

_From my head to my feet yeah!"_

Marshall's expert fingers hit every chord; he completely owned the solo, leaning into the bass with his hair falling into its typical messy fashion, biting his lip and strumming the chords like a rock god. The guests went wild and cheered, the room felt warm and alive. Fionna even danced, she felt so care free swaying and moving with the crowd to Marshall's song. She was blissfully unaware that he was watching her as the solo ended, he was nearly hypnotized by the way she moved, and couldn't wait to have his hands around her waist when he danced with her like she promised him.

_"You got the peaches, I got the cream_

_Sweet to taste, saccharine_

_'cause I'm hot, say what, sticky sweet_

_From my head, my head, to my feet_

_Do you take sugar? one lump or two?_

_Take a bottle, shake it up_

_Break the bubble, break it up_

_Pour some sugar on me_

_Ooh, in the name of love_

_Pour some sugar on me_

_C'mon fire me up_

_Pour your sugar on me_

_Oh, I can't get enough_

_Pour some sugar on me_

_Oh, in the name of love_

_Pour some sugar on me_

_Get it, come get it_

_Pour your sugar on me_

_Ooh, Pour some sugar on me_

_Yeah! Sugar me!"_

The crowd roared with applause, and Marshall proudly made the 'rock on' sign with both hands, his tongue snaking out from between his lips. He seen Fionna making her way over to him, and held out his hand to her when she got near; just before their hands touched, a tremor shook the ground and a fiery crevice opened in the middle of the floor. Fionna jumped back just in time to avoid falling into fire, and went to grab her sword… but she'd left it at home.

Marshall took a cautious step back, when a slim, feminine figure in a black suit levitated out of the ground and glared down at him through slitted eyes.

"I see you're defiling the family heirloom more than ever these days." The figure drawled as the fire and smoke cleared, revealing the notorious Hannah Abadeer, ruler of the Nightosphere.

"Hello to you too mum, now what do you want? We're kinda havin' a good time here." Marshall crossed his arms in annoyance, preparing to listen to yet another of his mother's speeches.

"Cut the crap Marshall, your kingdom needs you. I can only do so much down there to keep the…err… _peace_."

Marshall snorted, "How many times must I tell you, and everyone else in that fiery bum hole, I'm not interested in running any kingdom; not now, not ever."

Hannah glared at her son, ignoring the dumbfounded crowd of spectators. Her voice was a low hiss as she leveled herself with Marshall's eyes, "I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice now my dear child." She grabbed Marshall by the collar of his suit, her claws puncturing the fabric and scraping his skin as she yanked him forward.

"What the hell mom?!" Marshall grasped her forearm, trying to pull himself free from her grasp. In one swift motion, Hannah whipped out a syringe full of what appeared to be black blood, and injected it into Marshall's neck. His eyes went wide from shock and pain, as the liquid coursed through his veins leaving a spider webbed pattern on his neck. A second later, his eyes rolled back and he went limp in Hannah's grasp.

"Dead Man's Blood, that should do the trick…" Out of nowhere a crystal punch bowl struck the back of her head; enraged, she whirled around in all of her punch covered glory to face an infuriated Fionna. The blonde had thrown her mask to the ground, her fists were balled and hatred gleamed in her stormy eyes.

"Put… him… down." Fionna growled as she tensed her muscles, preparing to spring.

"You're lucky I don't cut you down where you stand, human." Hannah seethed, "I refuse to have my only son fawning after a damn human girl, his kingdom needs him and he needs to learn his place, even if I force it into that thick skull of his."

"YOU HURT HIM!" Fionna shouted, her face becoming red in anger.

"I merely weakened him, a little Dead Man's Blood won't kill someone as old as my son… just knock him out for a while."

Gritting her teeth, Fionna lunged forward with her fist raised, intent on beating the tar out of Hannah Abadeer. But before she could land the punch, Hannah quickly snapped her fingers and disappeared with Marshall into the fiery entrance of the Nightosphere. The ground closed up, and Fionna landed hard on her hands and knees.

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop; everyone was in shock, and Fionna could only sit on her knees… staring and the scorched spot where Marshall had been taken. She had to get him back… she just had to.

_In the Nightosphere…._

Marshall woke to find himself on a luxurious black leather sofa, he blinked a couple of times and tried to sit up but his head was spinning. He groaned, and leaned over to rest his head in his hands.

_"Fi, I'm so sorry…" _He thought to himself.

"Well it's about time you woke up." Hannah announced as she came into the room, her high heels clacking against the black granite floor. She handed him a mug of something and Marshall sniffed it, almost immediately he sat it far away from him… it was full of blood.

"What's the matter? You haven't gone vegan have you?"

"As a matter of fact I have… I only drink the color red now, and I do just fine with that." Marshall growled, leaning into the back of the couch. Hannah sighed in frustration, "She's softening you up too much, we can't have that now can we?"

Marshall glared at his mother, "Why the hell can't you just leave me out of this? I mean seriously, why can't you find someone else and just revoke my title or something?"

"Because you were born to rule, Marshall. No one else is more fit for ruling the kingdom than you; half demon and half vampire, you can relate to both sides and that's something I cannot do since I am just a demon."

"You know I'll just do the ritual to get out of here when I get too bored from listening to you."

Hannah smirked at him, "I've actually fixed that problem my dear son, I've sealed off the Nightosphere from the mortal world… only the dead and the demonic can exist here, everything else is simply expelled."

Marshall's eyes widened a bit… she had to be kidding.

_Back in Aaa…._

Fionna had tried the ritual so many times that evening that she'd lost count. She sat in front of the smiley face, cartons of bug milk scattered all around the living room, and the candles she'd lit for the ritual were burning low. The portal simply wouldn't open, and she was starting to feel a panicked fear in her heart. What if she never seen Marshall again? There was no good bye, no hug… no kiss…. It left a gaping hole in her very being, but made her even more determined to find him come hell or high water.


	12. Trapped in the Nightosphere

**Chapter Twelve is here! Remember to R&R and I do hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it; thank you everyone who has followed and given it a favorite. I would also like you all to know that this story is still nowhere close to being done, so hang in there! :D Without further ado, here is Chapter Twelve…**

Marshall leaned back casually in the dark, ornate wooden chair at the head of the conference table; his right leg was crossed over his left in an informal manner, and he absentmindedly ran his index finger over his now sharply pointed thumbnail. At the opposite end of the sleek and elegant black table, was older looking vampire discussing the issues of making vampires and demons co-exist. He was a tall, broad shouldered man with dark brown hair that hung past his shoulders in a thick braid, and looked to have been turned when he was in his late thirties.

"Holden…" Marshall sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, "You're asking for a sense of 'peace' in the one place where practically everything revolves around chaos… you do realize that, correct?"

Holden opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it, suddenly feeling ridiculous for approaching his king with the issue. A few moments of silence passed before Marshall pushed himself up from his chair, and straightened his black tail coat; he walked toward Holden in a casual manner, running the nail of his index finger across the table, leaving a deep scratch in its wake.

"I am half demon, and half vampire… But you already knew this, didn't you Holden?" Marshall asked, stopping a few feet from him. Holden nodded, "Yes, my King."

"Then you know that I am in no position to favor your kind over the other and vice versa. Actually, this entire issue that you and the rest of my council keep approaching me with is nothing more than a petty pissing contest in my eyes. Trust me, the demons know that you and the rest of the vampires don't like them, they just don't care. Besides, it's not like they're killing any of you… Just playing elaborate pranks and what not, am I correct?"

Holden nodded, still staring at the ground. Marshall smirked, "Then there's no reason to keep annoying me with this issue. I'll see you later Holden."

With quick wave goodbye, Marshall exited the meeting room and closed the heavy wooden door behind him. He walked alone with his crossed behind his back down the grand hallway, where the ceiling was vaulted several feet into the air and his every footstep echoed off the dark walls. A few candles dotted the way; their pitiful flames casting small circles of light onto the walls and floor. Marshall was sick of all this depressing darkness, it was so different from the dark hours in Aaa when he could fly out at night under the moon and stars and go anywhere he wished. He felt completely carefree there, but here he was like caged animal… there was no other way to describe it. He was the ruler of the Nightosphere, but felt more like a prisoner than royalty since he and everyone else in the stinking hell hole was sealed off from the mortal world.

_"Only the dead and the demonic can exist here… everything else is expelled."_

The words of his mother echoed in his mind, and almost instantly Marshall felt anger seeping into his veins like a potent drug. She had died the year before, assassinated to be honest… She'd managed to piss off a lot demons and vampires during her rule so it was only a matter of time until someone put a hit out on her. Since she was a demon, what was left of her ravaged soul probably found its way to the Lake of Souls on the edge of the Nightosphere. No one really knew what happened to a vampire or demon if they were killed here… everyone just assumed that the Lake of Souls was their final resting place.

Marshall's living quarters were at the far end of the castle, he preferred to be away from his subjects. Once inside his spacious room, Marshall removed his black tailcoat that was embroidered with an elaborate silver vine pattern around the edges, he tossed it across his writing desk and proceeded to remove his dress shirt and the rest of his clothes as he made his way to the bathroom to take a hot shower. The hot water and steam began to clear his senses, and Marshall sighed in relief as he felt the water hit his back. As he soaped up his hair, he suddenly thought of Fionna and how she always washed her hair with strawberry scented shampoo. Marshall felt a pain in his heart just thinking about her, and how freaked out she must have been after seeing him being yanked out her life like that. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure what had happened after the dead man's blood knocked him out… surely Fionna didn't try to fight his mom. What if she had been hurt, or even killed and he didn't know it? As much as the thought sickened him, Marshall realized that he had never seen Fionna here in the Nightosphere. If she had died, she'd gone to a much better place than here… of course she would… this was Fionna of all people.

It had been nearly two years since Marshall had been brought back to the Nightosphere, so he knew Fionna was probably about to turn twenty years old back in the mortal world… and he couldn't even wish her a happy birthday.

_Back in Aaa_

"Cupcake, don't drink that it's party juice!" Fionna yelped, yanking the purple glass bottle away from little black kitten with a gray mane and horse tail. She put the bottle on top of the book shelf, then shrieked in fright when she seen a little horse with orange cat fur and ears bucking around the kitchen with another silver horse maned kitten on its back. The tree house was a wreck, Fionna had been babysitting Cake and Mochro's three kids while they went away for the weekend. Fionna had hoped to play the part of "totally rad aunt" for a couple of days but it had been a total nightmare… Cupcake and Calvin the kittens, and Moose the…err… foal-cat were all bouncing energy balls that wanted nothing more to explore and tear stuff up and eat… Oh Glob how much they ate. The only time Fionna got any peace was when they all crashed from exhaustion around midnight. But luckily, today was Sunday so their parents were supposed to be coming home any minute now. As if on cue, Cake and Mochro came through the door and instantly their babies came running to them.

"There's my sweeties!" Cake cooed as she held the kittens in her arms, she smiled affectionately as Moose nuzzled his dad's leg.

"Heeeey guys, how was your weekend? Did ya have fun?" Fionna asked, collapsing in the arm chair and kicking her feet up.

"Oh we had a wonderful time, I love going to Mochro's dimension it's absolutely beautiful there!" Cake exclaimed, "How were the kids? It looks like they've run you ragged Baby Cakes."

Fionna waved away Cake's concern, not wanting to complain about her niece and nephews, "Nah, they were great! It's been a fun weekend."

Cake smiled happily, "That's good to hear hun. We stopped by the Candy Kingdom on the way here, King Gumball says 'hello' by the way… That's such a strange thing to say nowadays, 'King Gumball'."

Fionna nodded, "Yeah, but it fits him… He and Ci Ci are really good for each other. She gets him out of the lab at least."

"Ci Ci?" Cake raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I call her Ci Ci because it's easier than saying Cotton Candy Queen." Fionna explained.

"Ah, gotcha. By the way, you're right about her 'getting him out of the lab'… they're expecting."

Fionna's jaw dropped, "Already? They've only been married a few months; that engagement was forever it seemed like."

Cake chuckled, "Well when it comes to making heirs, royal couples have a knack of getting to tier fifteen straight away… Anyways, we'd better get the kiddos home. Thanks again for taking care of 'em baby we really appreciate it."

Fionna got up to hug her sister, and whispered "Anytime".

After saying good bye and giving a final wave, Fionna closed the door to the tree house and turned to face the task that lay before her… cleaning. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, and with a look of determination got to work on cleaning her home which was something that had gotten a lot easier over time. She didn't completely hate cleaning now, it was almost therapeutic and kept her mind off of Marshall. She missed him deeply, it had been nearly two years since Hannah had taken him back to the Nightosphere, and no matter what Fionna tried she just couldn't get the portal to open. She knew Hannah must have sealed it somehow… but surely there was a way to break the seal or at least get around it.

It didn't take any time for the house to look spotless, which was a relief considering Fionna hadn't been able to touch it since the kids had been over. After fixing herself a simple meal of soup and grilled cheese, Fionna went up to her bedroom with a book to read before bed. Her bedroom looked quite different from when she first started living on her own; after completing a particularly difficult quest to retrieve the gem for Ci Ci's engagement ring, Prince Gumball gave Fionna an entire bedroom suit that was crafted by one of the best carpenters in Aaa. It was a rather elaborate gift, and Fionna felt a bit guilty for taking it but she certainly loved her comfy, down filled mattress. She now had a beautiful four poster bed with wispy blue gossamer fabric hanging across the top, a new bureau, and even a large armoire built specially for holding all of her weapons. Fionna climbed in bed and snuggled down into her sheets and blankets, it was summer again so her window was open and the gentle breeze rolled in as if someone softly exhaled. She tried to read her book, there was plenty of action and adventure within its pages, but Fionna kept looking over at the open window… silently hoping that Marshall would come floating in.

Still, just like every night before, he never came…


	13. The Return

**Hey guys, wanted to get this chapter to you before I head into work. Thank you for your patience, remember to R&R and I shall write more as soon as possible.**

It was yet another sleepless night for Marshall as he lay in his bed, gazing up at the ceiling of his room with his hands tucked behind his head. He'd informed his subjects that he was not to be disturbed under any circumstance, or they would face a series of rather gruesome consequences if they were to disobey him. He wasn't serious about the last part of course, he just knew how to make his subject's fear of him work in his favor. Right now, all Marshall needed was time to think and concentrate because an idea had sparked in his head earlier that morning, and it was something that he hoped would turn into a roaring blaze of an epiphany. Marshall had witnessed an execution earlier that day, and the method with which it was carried out peaked the Vampire King's interest. He learned that there are some beings that are so evil that even the Nightosphere doesn't want them, so when they finally arrive, they are taken to the Lake of Souls where their soul is cut from their body with an ethereal blade and released into the lake to wander aimlessly for all eternity. The demon that they executed had also been half human, but had used terrible forms of blood magic throughout his entire life and even controlled demons to do his bidding while he was back in Aaa, so it was quickly decided that he didn't need to be walking around the Nightosphere with those kinds of abilities. Once his demonic soul had been released into the lake, the executioner saying had quietly muttered, _"Into the lake with the rest of you."_

"The rest of you…" Marshall whispered to himself. Surely that meant that the human half of the soul was already there. That was what made Marshall wonder, what if his own human soul was already down there? What would happen if he were somehow able to rejoin it with his body or even replace the vampire and demon part of him with just his human part? Most importantly, would that send him back to Aaa? It was worth a shot.

Marshall flipped back the covers of his bed and raced to his bedroom window in his sleep pants, not bothering to look for his shirt. He pushed open the window and peeked over the edge to ensure none of his castle staff was wandering the grounds, and without further hesitation he leapt out. Landing softly on the dried, dead grass of the grounds, Marshall immediately broke into a sprint toward the large door situated at the back of the castle where the Abadeer family heirlooms were kept… the ethereal blade being one of them. He dove into the shadows close to the wall dissipated into his black, shadowy form until he reached the door and gently, quietly pushed it open.

_Back in Aaa…_

Fionna sauntered down the sloping entrance of the cave toward Marshall's house. She'd taken the liberty of slowly moving most of his possessions to the tree house one back pack at a time after she'd caught some thieves in the process of looting it. Needless to say they walked out alive, but empty-handed and very bruised and bleeding. The front door was hanging off its hinges from where the thieves had kicked it in, it wouldn't close properly anyway so with a forceful tug Fionna removed the door from its frame and leaned it against the house. Once inside she set about gathering what she could of Marshall's things… music books, pictures, movies and even some of his clothes that, should he ever return, Fionna knew he would continue to wear and would hate it if they got ruined. Fionna didn't spend too much time at the house because it wasn't long until the lonely, aching feeling in her gut began to worsen just from being around Marshall's things. She had slowly begun to accept the fact that she was probably never going to see him again as painful as it was to think that; still, there was no way she was going to let people loot his home. Fionna paused in the living room, taking one last look around the musty interior before stepping onto the front porch and leaning the detached door across the frame. There wasn't much else she could do if the house got looted now, but there wasn't much left at all to take and Fionna was pretty sure they wouldn't want the glob awful couch in the living room.

Later that evening, after washing up after her trek from Marshall's house and doing her typical chores, Fionna neatly packed what she'd collected into a box and placed it in the attic with the other little cluster of boxes she had brought from his house. A little cloud of dust was kicked up as Fionna situated the boxes in the back corner of the attic, and as she was moving them her eyes came to rest on the smiley face drawn on the wall, and the empty bug milk cartons scattered about. She paused… it had been awhile since she'd tried to open the portal, she'd redrawn the smiley face up in the attic so that Cake wouldn't think she was obsessing over bringing Marshall back. Fionna knew there was at least one carton of bug milk in the fridge.

One more try couldn't hurt, could it? Just one more try and then she'd get rid of the portal. Without a second thought she hurried out of the attic to grab the bug milk from the fridge and already her heart was pounding with the small amount of hope that was left.

_In the Nightosphere…_

"Shit, shit, shit!" Marshall yelped as he narrowly avoided being seen by one of the castle guards; he moved and ducked his way behind trees, rocks and old statues on the grounds until he was far enough away to make a break in the direction of the lake. The blade was gripped tightly in his hand, and shone brightly when he turned himself invisible; he'd decided to fly in order to cover more area but remained close to the ground so that the blade's glow wouldn't be spotted high in the air. It wasn't long until Marshall spotted the glow of the lake in the distance; he sighed in relief but couldn't help but wonder how the hell he was going to find his own human soul, if it was even there, amongst all the other ones. Not to mention, how would he go about switching it with his vampire/ demon soul? He groaned quietly in frustration, mentally kicking himself for not thinking this through more… he'd just have to wing it and hope everything worked out in the end.

Once he reached the edge of the lake, Marshall turned visible and knelt down to look into the glowing, swirling blue and grey pool of souls… all whispering in low, hushed tones to either themselves or one another, Marshall couldn't tell. He dipped his hand into the water, nothing freaky happened and the souls didn't even seem to notice the minor disturbance.

"…Marshall Lee?" He whispered into the lake, feeling odd to be calling out for himself. Nothing happened, so he called his name out a second time a little more loudly. This time, squinting his eyes, Marshall could see someone coming up from the depths of the lake. Instinctively he began to wade out toward it in the shallowest part of the lake, and soon he found himself looking down at his own transparent face. The human part of Marshall's soul smiled up at him like a long lost friend, and held its hand out to him. It couldn't break the surface on its own so Marshall reached down and gripped the vague form of his own hand… it was such a strange sensation, there but not really there. With a yank, the soul broke the surface and hovered in front of Marshall for a moment. Marshall stared at it in awe, "This is really… freaking trippy." He said to himself and was surprised to see his soul chuckle silently, it's milky white eyes filled with mirth. The soul suddenly looked down at the blade in Marshall's hand then looked to his face. Gently, it pressed its finger over Marshall's heart, while pointing at the blade.

"You want me to…stab myself?" Marshall questioned. The soul appeared to panic as it waved its hands frantically and shook its head 'no'. It then raised its hand to show Marshall how its thumb and index finger were only an inch apart, it then pointed back to the space above his heart.

"So make a small cut then, yes?" He asked it, raising a questioning eyebrow. The soul nodded eagerly, and patted Marshall's shoulder reassuringly. After a brief pause, Marshall took a deep breath, bracing himself for the pain.

"Here goes nothin'." With a wince, he drew the blade across his bare chest leaving a small but somewhat deep incision on his skin. The next thing he knew, his soul gripped his shoulder and plunged its hand into the cut which startled Marshall but more so that he didn't feel any pain. As if things couldn't get any weirder, the soul withdrew its hand and out came another figure like its own… however it was surrounded by a dark aura, and its eyes were vermillion. It bared its fangs at Marshall's human soul, who's hand gripped the evil looking thing around the throat before shoving it beneath the surface of the water where it pounded angrily against the surface from the other side but was blocked by some mysterious force in the lake.

It was then that Marshall realized he was losing consciousness, and just before he passed out, his human soul dove into his body through the incision that he'd made with the blade that now lay beside him on the ground. His eyes were closed, and for a moment he appeared to be dead, but inside… things were completely different.

_Back in Aaa…_

Fionna watched as the bug milk dripped down the wall, much like the silent tears that fell from her cheeks. She had to give up now, it was a lost cause… Marshall wasn't coming back to her.

"I should've known it wouldn't work…" She whispered to herself, wiping her tears away. She turned to leave the attic, but at that moment a fiery, blazing gap opened up where the smiley face had been and an unconscious, raven haired figure came crashing to the floor. The gap closed back up, and Fionna simply stood there, unable to breathe in the darkness.

"Marshall?" She whispered.


	14. Too Damn Long

**See? I told ya'll I'd update soon! :D **

**Now reeeeeaaaaaad! Please and Thank You! :D**

"M-Marshall?... How the h… You… Marshall wake up!" Fionna's voice was edged in panic as she ran a shaky hand through her hair. Thinking quickly, she hoisted Marshall up over her shoulder with a huff and made her way to the attic door. Despite being in utter shock, Fionna was able to carry her unconscious friend to the living room where she laid him on the couch as gently as possible, ignoring his lack of shirt. The moment she pulled back to survey his condition, Fionna realized something was very… very different about Marshall. Besides the fact that his raven black hair had gotten slightly longer in his absence, it was his skin that intrigued her so much; although it was still somewhat pale, it was far from that deathly shade of gray that it had once been. She reached out and rested her hand on his bare forearm and nearly jerked it back in shock, he was _warm_.

"What the Glob happened to you down there?" Fionna whispered, stroking his arm soothingly as she eyed the small incision over his heart. Blood had coagulated at the surface and a loose scab had formed, there was even some blood dried on his chest. Shouldn't that have completely healed by now? Fionna had been accustomed to seeing Marshall's wounds heal right before her eyes in the rare moments that he would get wounded when they were out adventuring and fighting monsters together. Suddenly, Marshall sat straight up and his eyes shot open; he drew in a deep, raspy breath of air as if his very life depended on it. His chest rose and fell with every breath as his now vivid green eyes darted around the room, trying to make sense of his surroundings; they finally came to rest on Fionna, who had been so startled she'd jumped back a good two feet to the other end of the couch and had tucked her knees to her chest and was peeking over at him.

"Is that really you Fi?" Marshall asked, his eyes widening a bit in amazement. Fionna uncurled a bit and nodded quietly, she was still a bit startled by this series of unexpected events and could barely believe that Marshall was sitting right in front of her after having him torn away from her two years ago. They eyed each other for a moment; Marshall couldn't believe that Fionna could get any more beautiful than she was before he left but jeez, she was freaking gorgeous. It dawned on him that she had aged in his absence and wasn't seventeen anymore… she was nearly twenty, and it was then that he could feel his heart begin to pound loud and strong within his chest, he felt so alive it was invigorating. Here he was, finally sitting in front of the girl of his dreams, the girl he had willingly turned himself mortal for just to get back into her world, and now he was struggling to say something … anything, to her. Marshall cautiously reached out to Fionna, a happy glint in his eyes as he rested his hand on her knee. He scooted closer to her, and moved his hand to stroke her cheek. She leaned in to his touch, her eyes closing and a relaxed sigh escaping her lips.

Marshall spoke gently to her, "I-I know it's been a long time Fi… I'm sorry if you've been scared or upset but please know the whole time I was stuck in that horrid place the only thing that kept me going was trying to find a way back to you…" He'd almost forgotten how those eyes of hers could pull him in, and they were pulling him in fast.

"Marshall…" Fionna's voice trembled, as if she were about to cry, "You've got no idea how much I've missed you, there's so much I wanna say I.."

"Don't say anything at all…"

His lips were on hers in a second and they were so unbelievably soft and perfect it made Marshall's head swim. Fionna wasn't protesting in the slightest, and even moaned slightly when he deepened the kiss, pushing her back slightly until she gave in and lay back completely; her hands tangled in his hair and she heard a low rumble in his chest. Fionna bit her lip shyly as Marshall pulled back slightly to catch his breath and gaze down at her, "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to do that?" He asked huskily, slightly nuzzling the tip of her nose with his.

Fionna giggled, sliding her hands down to his waist, "How long?"

Marshall leaned back down, sensually kissing along her jaw line and down to her collar bone.

"Too…"

_Kiss…_

"Damn…"

_Kiss…_

"Long…"

Fionna bit her lip, fighting to not make any noise but Marshall wasn't making it easy on her. He gently took her ear lobe between his teeth and purred into her ear "Kinda hard to hold back on you now."

"You're driving me insane, Marshall." Fionna panted, her back arched slightly at his touch.

"That doesn't sound like a complaint, Fi." Marshall chuckled, touching his forehead to hers.

"It's not." Fionna put her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him into another kiss… only this time they both heard something that made their eyes shoot open, their lips still pressed together.

"Baby Cakes? I know it's late but are you home?" Cake's voice was right outside the front door. Marshall, forgetting that he could no longer fly, tried to leap off the back of the couch and hit the floor chest first.

"Shiiiiiiiiiittttt…." He squeaked.

Fionna vaulted over the couch and shooed him upstairs, "Get a shirt on, I have one of your old ones in my bureau."

Marshall raced upstairs, while Fionna went to open the door for Cake. He could hear the cat asking what the crashing noise was and Fionna said she'd fallen off the couch. Opening the bedroom door as quietly as possible, Marshall stepped inside and was stunned to see the room clean with new furniture; it looked nice but he was used to the piles of clothes and weapons scattered about.

"My Bunny's been domesticated…" Marshall groaned before going to search the bureau for some clothes. He found one of his old band tees, and even a pair of jeans to wear. "Can't believe she kept this stuff…" He chuckled, pulling on the shirt and pants; he sighed in relief to be back in his normal clothes as he turned to go back downstairs.

"Marshall, come down! Cake doesn't believe me!" Fionna shouted up to him. He shook his head, smiling, of course Cake wouldn't believe her… silly cat. Marshall trotted back downstairs to the living room, then realized the girls had migrated to the kitchen. Cake's back was to him, and she appeared to be drinking a soda. Fionna seen Marshall and grinned as she watched him lean casually against the doorway.

"Knock-knock, ladies."

Cake whipped around in her chair, nearly choking on her drink. "WHA!? You're hum… Oh Glob…" Before Fionna or Marshall could react, the cat fainted and fell out of her chair. He hadn't even been back in Aaa for a day and already the randomness of Fionna and Cake was starting.

It was good to be home…


	15. Human

**Hey everyone! Here's a new chapter for you, I tried to add a little more fluff to make ya'll happy. I know it's a bit slow right now but trust me it will pick back up soon. I just wanted to give you guys something so I wasn't leaving you chapterless for too long ^.^ anyway, R&R and as always, enjoy!**

Marshall and Fionna rushed over to Cake, who lay unconscious on the kitchen floor.

"Jeez I didn't think she'd pass out!" Fionna yelped, lightly tapping the side of Cake's face "Wake up sis! Don't make me get the catnip!"

Marshall snorted, "You still keep catnip around the house?" he tugged at the cat's ear a bit.

"Yeah she likes to drink it as a tea whenever the kids ruffle her fur too much." Fionna replied, getting up to rummage through the nearby cabinets in search of her sister's kitty crack.

"… How exactly did the… err… kids turn out?" Marshall asked, uncertain of his words.

"Whaddya mean?"

"Like… what do they look like? I mean, a horse and a magical stretchy cat bumped uglies so.."

"MARSHALL!" Fionna yelped in embarrassment, her face flushing red.

"Oh come on Fi it's part of life! That's how everyone and everything comes into this world… unless you're Prince Gumwad and can Frankenstein up candy people whenever you please."

Fionna sighed and knelt back down beside Cake, dangling a small bag of cat nip over her sister's nose until her ears started to twitch. All at once, her eyes popped open and she came flying up off the floor in a flurry of fur and claws grabbing for the bag of cat nip. Marshall and Fionna could only watch as she rolled away into the living room, and wince when they heard a lamp crash to the floor.

"She'll be alright." Fionna chuckled, waving off her sister's shenanigans. It was then that she realized Marshall was eyeing her as they sat on the floor, there was clearly something on his mind as his green eyes looked her over, and it made Fionna smile nervously.

"We should probably go get Cake." She said softly, before getting up and making her way into the living room with Marshall trailing behind her.

"Sis, are you done with the kitty crack?" Fionna asked when she seen Cake lying on the couch with bits of catnip stuck all over her fur.

"Yeah baby cakes, I'm done..." Cake sighed, then noticed Marshall standing near Fionna with his hands tucked into his pockets. The left side of his mouth lifted into a smile and he waved casually, "Hey there kitty, long time no see."

Cake looked him up and down, "Human is a good look for you boy. You gonna get the ball rollin' with Fionna now or not?"

"CAKE!" Fionna squeaked, her face turning red again. Marshall even blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh please, you two had to have kissed when you saw each other after this long…" Cake rolled her eyes at Fionna who looked like she was going to explode from embarrassment, "…I'm not stupid Fionna."

"I'll talk with you about that later, Cake." Marshall interjected, earning himself a surprised look from Fionna. "What've I missed since I've been gone?"

"Besides my sister growing into quite the looker and all the boys chasing after her…"  
"CAKE!"

"…Gumball's married, and has a kid on the way. Mochro and I got hitched awhile back and we've got three of our own now, you'll have to meet them soon."

Marshall smiled, "That's awesome, I'm really happy for you Cake."

Cake, being used to Marshall's prankster personality, was taken aback by his words but grateful nonetheless, "Thanks Marsh… By the way, I'm wonderin' how in Aaa you got out of that stinky pit you used to call home."

Marshall paused, looking at Fionna for a moment, who seemed intrigued herself, "It's kind of a long story guys…"

"WE WANNA HEAR IT!" The girls said in unison. Fionna plopped down on the couch next to her sister and they leaned in attentively to listen to Marshall's tale.

And so Marshall began the story of his two years in the Nightosphere and how he'd thought there really was no way back to Aaa after his mom passed. Fionna looked a bit relieved at the news, knowing that the woman couldn't bother Marshall anymore and Marshall really couldn't blame her. Their eyes widened in amazement when Marshall told them about finding his own soul in the Lake and how it pulled the evil soul out of him and threw it into the lake.

"It was seriously the most trippy and badass thing I've ever seen; it's a shame I dropped the blade when I passed out because I know you two weapon heads would've been drooling over it." Marshall chuckled, "When I woke up, Fi had me on the couch trying to molest me…"

"I DID NOT!"

"Heh heh, she really wasn't… but she did have me on the couch, I swear I thought I was dreaming when I saw her."

Cake smiled at him, "Well, Marshall I gotta tell ya she was a wreck for a while… I dunno how many cartons of bug milk she went through trying to get you back."

Fionna scuffed her foot shyly on the carpet, "I saved your stuff…"

"My stuff?" Marshall asked, tilting his head slightly in curiosity.

"Yeah I caught some bandits trying to raid your old house awhile back, so I beat them up and then eventually got all your belongings over here in boxes. It's all in the attic, I figured if you ever came back…"

Marshall had knelt down to envelope Fionna in a hug, not caring that Cake was there. The normally protective older sister wasn't exactly worried anymore now that Marshall was human and couldn't drain Fionna of her blood anymore; that thought alone had always worried Cake.

"Always lookin' out for me aren't you bun-bun?" Marshall whispered into Fionna's shoulder, "Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome." Fionna replied, blushing slightly.

Cake got up and stretched her arms, clearing her throat slightly; the sound made the two love birds break apart abruptly, "Well, like I said before Marshall, it's good to have you back. I haven't seen my sis this happy in a long time. Now, I need to get home before Mochro gets too worried about me."

"Actually sis, what did you come here for in the first place?" Fionna asked, "It was pretty late when you got here."

"I was gonna tell you that Mochro and I are taking the kids to the crystal dimension for a while, we want them to see both worlds ya know? It was kind of a last minute idea so I wanted to stop by and make sure you'd be alright."

Fionna chuckled, "Of course I'll be fine! It's not like I'll be by myself much anymore. I have to reintroduce this guy to the awesomeness of real food." She grinned at Marshall, who smiled back. Almost as if on cue, Marshall's stomach growled loudly. He looked at it in surprise at poked it cautiously, "That's weird…"

"No, that's normal ya goof!" Fionna snickered, then turned to her sister again, "You and Mochro have fun with the kiddos, and give them hugs for me m'kay?" Cake nodded, and the two sisters hugged once more before Cake got up to leave. Fionna walked her to the front door, and once they were out of earshot of Marshall's human hearing, Cake stretched up to Fionna's height and whispered, "Go get him baby cakes!"

Cake darted out the door in a fit of laughter as Fionna's face went scarlet. The poor girl sighed in defeat and closed the door, only to turn and end up face to face with Marshall. Fionna squeaked in surprise, "Damn it you're still quiet when you move."

"Want me to stomp around the room like a manly human man?" Marshall snickered when she lightly punched him in the arm; he then pulled Fionna into another hug and felt her relax in his embrace.

"I seriously don't think I can get enough hugs from you, Fi." He whispered, resting his chin atop her head.

Fionna smiled against his chest, relishing the warmth of his body through the thin shirt, as well as the steady beating of his heart which seemed to pick up now that he was closer to her. Marshall's stomach practically roared, ruining the moment for the pair.

"I think it's time you had some bacon." Fionna announced, and without hesitation she proceeded to lead Marshall back to the kitchen for an extremely early breakfast of bacon and eggs. The sun would be up in a couple of hours, and Marshall had no intention of sleeping anytime soon… he was looking forward to being able to walk in the sunlight for the first time in over a thousand years. He watched Fionna scurrying around the kitchen, her every move was pure perfection in his eyes; once more, he felt his heart beat stronger in his chest and it was all because of her.

He really was in love with her.


	16. Sunshine and Strawberries

**Hey guys! Short chapter, I know, but I wanted to give you guys something :). Thanks for keeping up with the story, remember to R&R and I hope you enjoy this chapter, I'll have another one up as soon as possible and hopefully it will be one that will move the story forward.**

Dawn came all too quickly for Fionna and Marshall, who had stayed up the entire night eating a bunch of yummy snacks that Fionna had made. Marshall got to try bacon pancakes for the first time and was blown away just like every other snack he tried; Fionna found his amazement toward the food very amusing and was unable to hold back her giggles. When the pair heard birds chirping outside, they looked to the kitchen window and seen the sky turning a bluish gray.

"We stayed up all night!" Fionna exclaimed, getting up to deposit their dishes in the sink, "I completely lost track of time." She turned the water on and began to scrub away at the plates.

"Wouldn't be the first time we've pulled an all-nighter." Marshall replied, leaning back in his chair and sighing in contentment. His hands rested on his full stomach, and he grinned in satisfaction "The color red was never this delicious. You're an amazing cook, you know that Fi?"

Fionna glanced over her shoulder and Marshall caught the blush on her cheeks, "Oh, thanks! I had to learn ya know? Part of the whole 'living on my own thing', just like cleaning unfortunately."

"I know, speaking of which how do you like having this whole freakin' tree house to yourself?" Marshall gestured around the room and smirked at Fi, "No rules, no one to tell ya what to do, it's nice isn't it?"

"It's been lonely…" Fionna said softly, turning around to find a look of surprise and sympathy on Marshall's face. Cursing her-self inwardly for sounding weak, she quickly attempted a do-over, "I-I mean I've been fine, I just go adventuring and stuff like I always have."

Marshall frowned at her and got up from his seat, moving toward her "Fi, I can tell you're lying."

Fionna averted her gaze from him and focused on a random crumb in the floor. A moment later, a warm hand was lifting her chin until she found herself looking into Marshall's half lidded eyes, just inches from hers. His hand tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before tracing its way down to the back of her neck, starting to pull her in.

"You're not going to be lonely anymore Bun-Bun…" He said huskily before capturing Fionna's lips with his. Marshall heard her exhale softly, and smirked as she melted into his kiss and ran her hands up his back, gripping the fabric of his shirt. Fionna heard the rumbling sound in Marshall's chest again, and giggled a bit when he picked her up and sat her on the kitchen counter. Her body was burning up, but that didn't stop her from deepening their kiss or trying to be as close to Marshall as possible. Marshall on the other hand, sensed where things were starting to go and gently pulled back a bit from Fionna. When he looked at her, and seen the desire in her eyes it took every bit of will power for him to not take her upstairs right then and there.

"Why'd you stop?" She pouted, her lips a bit red from the kissing.

"If I don't stop now I'm not gonna have any willpower left, Fi." Marshall chuckled, running a hand through his hair, "And besides… uh, how do you feel about me just staying here, with you?"

Fionna's eyes lit up, "Of course! You know I'd love that." She pulled Marshall in for a hug, which he gladly returned. He suddenly froze when he felt Fionna start to kiss his neck, and his eyes fluttered shut, "Fiiii…." He breathed, and hissed slightly when she gently bit his neck.

"Heh heh I'm just teasin' ya Marsh, I know your weakness now." Fionna chuckled evilly, then hopped off the counter and sauntered past, leaving Marshall dumbfounded.

"Aw, Fi that's just cruel." He whined, following her into the living room.

"I know." She paused at the front door, her hand on the knob, "Ya ready for some sun?"

Marshall paused a moment, then nodded eagerly when he realized this would be the first time he would walk in the sunlight unharmed in over a thousand years. The moment Fionna opened the door, Marshall bolted out into the bright morning sun that was still coming over the horizon. Its rays were pleasantly warm against his fair skin, no burning sensation whatsoever.

Fionna leaned against the door frame, just watching Marshall take in the sunrise; she smiled to herself and walked out across the dew covered grass to stand beside him.

"Pretty, isn't it?" She asked, taking his hand in hers. He nodded, "It really is… You always did smell like sunshine to me you know that? Sunshine and strawberries."

Fionna glanced up at him, "You could smell sunshine on me?"

"Yup, like my little living sun." He hugged her to his side, "My light in the dark."

Fionna leaned against Marshall, and felt him kiss the top of her head. They watched the sunrise for a bit longer before their lack of sleep began to catch up with them and they decided to get some rest for a few hours. Marshall, being the gentleman that he was, slept on the couch in the living room; of course he had to give Fionna kiss just before she went to her bedroom. Although he was exhausted, Marshall could barely sleep; part of him was afraid that he would wake up in the Nightosphere and this wonderful reality end up being a cruel, taunting dream. But he finally drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep that wasn't plagued by nightmares or torment.


	17. Incubus

**Hey guys, I'm updating now but I want to let you all know that I have an art show coming up soon at the end of August and need to devote a ton of time to the pieces I'm working on. I apologize for not updating sooner, and for putting the story on hold for a bit but please hang in there everyone :)**

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Night fell across the land of Aaa as it always did, and while the many day dwelling creatures settled in to rest their eyes and prepare for a new day, the creatures residing in the Dark Forest were just starting to stir. A cloud of bats rose from the trees, squeaking and flitting about as they began to hunt for bugs, snapping up the tiny insects with their quick jaws until their bellies were full.

Looking up through the twisted, bare branches of the trees was a hooded stranger. His pupils were slivers of pure blackness set against the hell fire of his irises as they stared up at the feeding bats.

"Greedy li'l bastards." He muttered to himself in a heavy accent from the Emerald Isle... a place that had been forgotten a thousand years after the Great Mushroom War. Breathing in deeply through his nose, his lips curled back into a smile, revealing a wicked set of fangs that glistened in the moonlight. He had caught a rather delicious scent being carried on the wind.

"Smells like supper."

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Since Marshall's return a few days earlier, Fionna had been trying her best to convert him to a morning person, rather than allowing him to sleep all afternoon. On this particular morning, she had received a rather frantic phone call from Gumball who had informed her of a rather delicate situation in the kingdom. He had also stated that he wanted to keep everything quiet and that he would give details once she arrived at the castle. Without hesitation, Fionna promised to be there as soon as possible and set about finding her shoes and something to wear.

Marshall was abruptly woken by Fionna pulling blankets off of him and rambling about an emergency in the Candy Kingdom. With a groan, Marshall stretched and yawned to wake himself up a bit more. He glanced over at the clock on the far wall, and to his horror it read 8 am.

"Eight!?" Marshall yelped, he grabbed Fionna around her waist as she passed by and pulled her down onto the couch with him.

"Just one more hour Fi..." He purred, snuggling up to her body.

"Ack, Marsh, c'mon... heh heh that tickles! STAHP!"

Marshall continued to nuzzle Fionna's neck despite her giggles and protests.

"I'll stop, on one condition." He grinned against her collar bone.

"What's that?"

"You have to snooze with me tonight..." He said softly.

Fionna turned to look at him, and found him giving her the most pitiful puppy dog look she'd ever seen.

"It's lonely down here on the couch..." He pouted. Fionna rolled her eyes, sighing in defeat "Alright lover boy, but we're sleeping upstairs in my bed. There's no way we'd sleep _comfortably _down on this thing."

Feeling victorious, Marshall pecked Fionna on the lips and practically leapt off the couch, suddenly finding the energy to start the morning. Fionna blinked at him as he held the front door open for her, "We don't wanna keep Gumbutt waiting."

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Gumball had been waiting patiently in his lab, examining a corpse that had turned up near the kingdom. One of the guards had reported it, and as the King he felt that he should avoid making this incident public so that it wouldn't cause panic among his citizens. The victim was a young elf woman, which surprised Gumball because elves were typically very far from his kingdom. Then again, she could have just been passing through and was unfortunate enough to end up being something's dinner... according to the set of fang marks on her neck.

The marks were a red flag that the killer had been a vampire, but Gumball wanted Fionna's input on this as well.

"Hey Bubba what's... oh my Glob..."

Gumball turned to see Fionna staring wide eyed at the corpse laying on the table in front of him, and just behind her was Marshall Lee. Cake and Mochro had informed him of Marshall's return but this was the first time that Gumball has seen Marshall in person. Greetings would have to wait, there was a more serious matter at hand.

Fionna was beside Gumball in an instant, looking at the drained face of the elf; her eyes wandered over the bite marks.

"Was it a vampire?" She asked, looking to Gumball. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Marshall coming over to look at the body himself.

"Incubus..."

"A what?" Gumball asked him.

"An incubus... it's a.. uh... well it's a demon that feeds on sexual energy. They don't normally kill their victims though... but it does happen.

Fionna looked at him incredulously, "How in Aaa do you know this?"

"Incubi and Succubi reside in the Nightosphere, but they also wander Aaa from time to time. And, well I don't really want to look under the sheet but I'm guessing she was naked when you found her and that there are more than just fang marks on her neck and body."

Gumball reddened and coughed nervously, nodding his head. "So how do we get rid of this thing?"

"Well we can't exactly kill it, but what we can do is seal it back in the Nightosphere. We'll need a banishing spell to do that though."

Fionna nodded in agreement, "Alright, let's go get that spell so I can get rid of this sucker."

"OOOH no ya don't." Marshall guided her over to his side, "You're going to need back up on this, Fi. You'll be in way over your head if you run into this thing on your own."

"And why is that? You said the thing feeds off sexual energy, it's not like I'll get all flustered around it. It can't _make _me feel that way."

Gumball and Marshall exchanged glances, "Actually, it can Fi." Marshall explained, "Incubi are the male demons that prey specifically on women. You're a human female... you wouldn't stand a chance."

Fionna looked at Marshall with determination, "Well if it's back up I need then we need to find it quick, I don't want anyone else dying. Not on my watch."

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**Sorry to cut it short guys! I'll try to have something up by the end of August, you may even have two long chapters by then :) remember to R&R **

**Thanks everyone!**


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